Basel Fasnacht

Morgestraich

The carnival starts in the dark. At exactly 4 am on Monday all the lights in the old town are switched off, and the only light comes from the lanterns of the cliques — large painted parade lanterns carried or wheeled in front of each group, and small lanterns worn on the head. On the command “Morgestraich, vorwärts marsch!” every clique begins to play the same march on piccolos and drums, and moves off through the streets. For the next 72 hours many restaurants and bars stay open.

Three days of satire

UNESCO compares the carnival to a huge satirical magazine. Most groups choose a sujet, a theme that mocks recent events, and paint it on their lanterns, wear it in their costumes and print it in verse on flyers. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons the Cortège, a parade of about 11,000 costumed participants, follows two ring routes through the city: fife and drum cliques, Guggenmusik brass bands, carriages handing out treats, and floats of Waggis — caricatures of Alsatian farmers — who throw oranges, sweets, flowers and huge amounts of confetti. Participants wear a mask called a Larve and are meant to stay incognito.

Tuesday belongs to children and families, who parade in mixed costumes. In the evening Guggenmusik bands play concerts on stages at the Marktplatz, Barfüsserplatz and Claraplatz, and from Monday evening to Wednesday morning the lanterns are displayed and lit on the Münsterplatz. In restaurants and bars, Schnitzelbank singers perform satirical verses in Swiss German. The carnival ends at 4 am on Thursday, when the cliques bid farewell to their lanterns.

Seven centuries

The early history of Fasnacht is unknown, because the city’s records were destroyed in the earthquake of 1356; the earliest surviving document about the carnival dates from 1376. It has been organised since 1901 by the Fasnachts-Comité. Around 20,000 people of every age and background take part and around 200,000 visitors come to watch. UNESCO inscribed the carnival on its Representative List in 2017, noting that it helps safeguard the local dialect and is passed on in families that have taken part for generations.