fasnacht faq

So Fasnacht kicks off on Thursday morning, and while I know you’re probably pretty up on all the Swiss costume festivals, there may be one or two readers who aren’t. So, um, I’m going to talk to those people now, alright? Good. Here goes:

What’s Fasnacht?
That’s a good question. Tough one to start with, but good one.

Thanks. And the answer?
Well, um, I’m not totally sure, to be honest. I mean, I’ve never seen it in person or anything. But I did do some research.

I started the research after the banners went up. That was probably a month ago. They went up over Zugerstrasse, the main street running through Baar. (Curiously, once you get to Zug, the street name changes to Baarerstrasse.) They had clowns and coats of arms and radishes on them, and they came accompanied by all kinds of other posters announcing parties and the like. That’s when I figured something interesting was afoot.

So…
So Fasnacht. Well, it’s basically Carnaval, done up Swiss style. It’s very Catholic – people put on costumes, generally clown suits, I think, or jester suits, with crazy, scary masks, and who knows what else. They throw confetti, and they get drunk for four days, starting this Thursday – “Greasy Thursday,” they call it. And the whole thing culminates next Tuesday – Fat Tuesday.

I’m sorry. Greasy Thursday?
Yeah, that’s what they call it. Greasy Thursday. Now you Swiss you were here, don’t you?

So this Fasnacht, it’s basically Mardi Gras then?
Basically, yeah. But I never heard about Fasnacht before this year. (Had you?) It’s northern Swiss and southern German, and as I mentioned, it starts on Thursday morning. Like, early. Apparently, at 5 a.m., “The Frischi Father,” whoever that is, appears in the window of the town hall in Luzern, and then there are a couple cannon shots, and boom – the city goes nuts. From then until next Wednesday (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent), Luzerners are permitted – nay, expected – to be drunk.

You said what time?
Yeah, I know. Five in the morning. Whose dumb idea was that?

And that’s it? They drink?
Well, no, that’s not all. They have parades, and they play music, and they wear masks and costumes, and they eat fatty, fried foods to help fortify them for the rest of the winter. So, like, they eat sausages, and onion quiches, and Fasnachtschüechli, and donuts. Stuff like that.

Fasnachtsch…?
Fasnachtschüechli.

Fasnachtschü…?
Whatever. It’s not important how you say it. What’s important is that it’s really good. It’s basically a flaky, flat, fried wafer, covered in powdered sugar. It’s great.

So you’ve had one of these Fasn… these flaky wafers?
Oh yeah. They’ve been on the shelves at the Migros for about a month now, ever since the banners went up over Baar. That’s how I figured out that something unusual was coming down the pike – I’d seen the banners, and then the packaging for the Fasnachtschüechli has all kinds of confetti and masks and stuff on it, so I made the connection there.

Boy, nothing gets by you, huh Dan?
You got that right.

So wait. It’s a costume holiday, and it occurs in February or March, and people eat tasty pastries, and people get really drunk. It’s basically Purim, isn’t it?
Yeah, I said the same thing. They even sell noisemakers in the stores that are basically groggers. Sarah pointed out that both holidays probably come from pagan traditions, just like all the other holidays. She’s probably right about that.

So will you be getting drunk?
Probably not, unless Max challenges me, and then maybe. But no, I think we’ll probably just dress up and go to a couple of the parades.

Dress up as what?
Well, Mia’s a princess, obviously. She’s got a crown and some costume jewelry, and she’s got a gold mask. She’s way excited. And Max has bunny ears, though they don’t really stay on, so we’ll have to see. I also bought a fake mustache that I’d like him to wear, but so far he’s been resistant. That’s the Dutch in him.

And what about you guys?
Sarah’s got a blue wig and a black mask. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s weird. You don’t recognize her when she’s wearing it. She looks great. And then I have this little headband thing with bobbly valentine thingies on it. It looks sort of like this: