The adventurous ladies of the American Women’s Club of Zurich recently enjoyed another outstanding excursion, this time heading up to Basel for the Morgestraich (Fasnacht parade). About 30 of us braved the early dawn hours, meeting at 1h45 to catch our train to Basel. We came ready to party, many dressed in festive costumes of our own. There were tiaras, cat masks, top hats with sequins, and we even counted an Elvis with hot pink hair amongst our group.
    
Disembarking at the Basel train station, we were eagerly greeted by local Fasnachters anxious to sell their wares, the Fasnacht badges. Purchase of one of these badges not only helps to fund the Fasnacht, but also exempts the wearer from being ambushed by confetti. The atmosphere was vibrant as waves of revelers flowed out of the train station and into the streets. Those who didn’t know where the parade began could simply follow the hordes heading for the Aldstadt.   

The light drizzle and the early hour didn’t seem to deter the crowds. At precisely 4h00 the city of Basel shut off all the streetlamps, but instead of darkness we were greeted with a forest of light emanating from the lanterns. There were two types of lanterns used in the parade: the large lantern pulled through the streets by each clique (or club), and the smaller lanterns which were worn by individual marchers atop their heads. With the command of “Morgestraich, vorwarts marsch!” the parade commenced, and we were treated to a feast for the senses.  

All the parade participants wore masks and dressed in a wide range of sumptuous costumes. Some popular choices included the famous Waggis (a sort of clown gone wild), various animals, harlequins, and Napoleonic soldiers. At times, observing the Fasnacht parade seemed to me like watching a Cirque du Soleil show that never ends.

The other aspect of the parade that never stopped was the music. Basel citizens are musical - and they can play! Piccolos and drums were the instruments of the evening, and the music gave the parade a magical quality that complemented the surreal costumes.

Each clique had their own sujet (or theme), which was depicted on their lantern. The lanterns ran the gamut from macabre to comedic, depending on the theme  represented. Fasnacht is an opportunity for the Swiss to offer some political commentary on pop culture and current events. This year there were lanterns skewering Swiss banking and agriculture, as well as a local TV show about Swiss farmers looking for love. Even American politics made an appearance, with a lantern showing a lei-wearing Barrack Obama standing atop the globe, his arms wide open to the world, rays of light beaming from his head.

After a few hours of parade watching, we were ready to escape the rain and sample a few traditional Fasnacht delicacies. Leaving the parade in the old town, we headed across the river to the Brasserie Volkshaus Basel for some much-needed breakfast fuel. We dined on Mehlsuppe (a flour soup with a rich flavor akin to gravy), Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart), and Käsewähe (a cheese tart similar to quiche). It was good to be able to rest our feet and compare notes on the evening before heading back to Zurich.

Those of us who took part in Fasnacht would like to give a big thank you to Robin Meixner, who organised the evening and always does an awesome job with all the excursions. Basel Fasnacht was a fun night and a great experience for any expat curious about those crazy Swiss carnivals. Hope to see you there next year!
    
Text credit: Andrea Wada / Expatica 2009

Photo  credits: enricod; patapat