The Busós emerge on Shrove Tuesday in Hungary to play pranks on festivalgoers and cause a general ruckus. This year’s celebration falls on Feb. 17. (iStock)
Carnival season is at the door, and across Europe, celebrations will unfold in as many ways as there are cultures. Some carnival festivities are slapstick and light-hearted, others bitingly satirical, and then again, there are those that can perhaps best be described as ... unsettling. Those who appreciate not so much an outright fright but more a lingering sense of unease might wish to check out the various rites and costumes of carnival in the places mentioned below:
Black Forest in Germany: This scenic region in southern Germany is part of a much broader area in which traditions of the Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet play out. In stark contrast to the good-natured clowns and jesters spotted at carnivals in cities such as Mainz and Cologne, witches, devils and mysterious masked figures rule the day.
In the town of Rottweil, a number of age-old and curious traditions are strictly adhered to, the most important of which is Rose Monday’s “Narrensprung,” set for Feb. 16. Beginning at 5 a.m., a marching band of trumpet players will noisily make their way through the city streets, ensuring all townsfolk are up and ready for the 8 a.m. appearance of some 4,000 “Narren,” the so-called “fools” who will enter town by way of the medieval Black Gate. Dressed in colorful costumes and wearing elaborate carved wooden masks handed down through generations, they’ll perform a slow, shuffling dance in which they hop from one leg to another, as the tune of the “Fools’ March” plays out as if on an endless loop. The hopping fools add to the eerie soundtrack with their high-pitched cries of “hu hu hu” and guttural purring sounds. Each of the seven different styles of masks to be worn here represents a specific Fastnacht character. “Federahannes” is readily identified by the huge teeth curling out from the sides of his mouth and his costume covered with goose feathers. He is armed with a long pole which helps him to vault over the cobblestones, and the calf’s tail attached is waved in spectators’ faces. Another character that’s hard to miss here is the Gschell, who makes quite the racket with dozens of bells on leather straps attached to his body. The Narrensprung procession is repeated at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Feb. 17. Online: narrenzunft-rottweil.de
Another interesting Fasnet destination is Elzach, a town on the Elz River some 15 miles northeast of Freiburg. The central figure here is that of the Shuttig, who wears a shaggy red costume, snail shaped hat adorned with gigantic pom-poms, and a carved wooden mask. From 3 p.m. Feb. 15, a historical parade with more than 1,000 marchers and four bands will pass through town. At 8 p.m. that same day, a torchlit procession will be followed by a devil’s dance around the flickering flames. An additional parade takes place from 3 p.m. on Feb. 17. Online: narrenzunft-elzach.de
The Busó in Hungary: The town of Mohács, on the banks of the Danube River in southern Hungary, is known for its boisterous carnival celebrations, to include parties, concerts and the burning of a coffin to symbolize farewell to winter. The figure central to celebrations here are the Busós, men clad in oversize animal-skin cloaks and wearing wooden masks with ramlike horns and toothy grimaces. On Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 17, these rowdy figures will once again take over the town after arriving en masse by rowboats on the Danube. Once in town, they’ll make themselves known by clattering cowbells, waving wooden clubs and playing pranks on unsuspecting festivalgoers. Online: tinyurl.com/39uwt3kj
Tschäggättä in Lötschental, Switzerland: In the towns of this valley in the Bernese Alps in the canton of Valais, the ancient and mysterious tradition of the Tschäggättä live on. These mysterious carnival figures in wooden masks with grotesque or grimacing expressions are best spotted in the town of Wiler on two occasions: at the Tschäggättu Loif from 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 12, or at the carnival parade set for 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. During any encounter with these carnival figures, it’s important not to touch the costumes or otherwise treat them in a disrespectful manner: doing so may result in being tossed head first into a snowbank. Online: tinyurl.com/ytkdze66
A reminder of the plague years in Venice: Most of the masks worn by revelers at Venice’s “carnevale” in centuries past were meant to convey a sense of mystery and an anonymity that allowed different social classes the chance to mingle without recognition, and such masks remain popular to date. A newcomer to the carnival scene is the attire of the plague doctor, based on what doctors would really have worn back in 1630, when a terrible pestilence yet again ravaged the city. The mask’s long beak, filled with aromatic herbs and spices, was meant to protect the wearer from odors, believed to be the carriers of contagion. The mask’s glass-covered eyeholes offered additional protection, as did the brimmed hat and thick cloak. The costume of the plague doctor is reputed to have experienced a significant surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and spotting those clad as such during Venice’s carnevale celebrations, which will reach their peak from Feb. 7-17, is a likely prospect. Online: carnevale.venezia.it
