Fasnacht

It is almost Fasnacht season again, so here is my (very) belated writeup on Basler Fasnacht.

The general stereotype of Switzerland (and of the Swiss) is orderly, quiet, businesslike, and staid.

Fasnacht is none of these things.

Fasnacht is Swiss Carnival. To those unfamiliar with Carnival, consider it the non-American Mardi Gras. Fasnacht has its roots in old Germanic pre-spring rituals. It generally starts around Lent, depending on the city. For instance, Thun Fasnacht takes place at the end of January. Bern’s Fasnacht celebration starts the Thursday after Lent and begins with the freeing of the bear; participants dressed as bears are “released” in the old city and the celebration kicks off with cliques and general merrymaking. Last year, because the Covid restrictions were lifted so recently, the Bern Fasnacht was shortened and began on Friday evening, with a children’s Fasnacht celebration on Saturday. Bern’s Fasnacht is the third largest in Switzerland, after Basel and Lucerne. Later in the year, on 11.11, the bear is then symbolically recaptured and put in the old prison tower to be released again the following Fasnacht.

An hour’s train ride north of Bern is Basel, home to Switzerland’s largest Fasnacht. Basler Fasnacht is also on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It has taken place in some for or other since the 1400s. Basler Fasnacht is held over three days and for the entirety of these three days the altstadt of Basel, which is known as the Three Finest Days. The festivities begin with Morgestraich in the wee hours of the first Monday after Lent and continue with the cortège, Kinderfasnacht and Guggenkonzert on Tuesday, and Endstreich at 4am on Thursday morning. During this entire time cliques (if you are familiar with Mardi Gras, they are similar to krewes) and sometimes small groups or individuals dressed in traditional costume march through the altstadt playing music on flutes, drums, or brass instruments. Confetti is thrown, beer and gluhwein and mehlsuppe and wurst is consumed, and general merrymaking abounds.

First a note about attending Basler Fasnacht, and specifically Morgestraich: if you don’t like big crowds, are at all claustrophobic, don’t like the dark, or don’t like loud noises, this is not the festival for you. The city lights are turned off for Morgestraich and the only illumination comes from the lanterns in the festival. To summarize: it is cold, dark, loud, and crowded. Public transportation in the old city is also shut down for Morgestraich and in general affected by Fasnacht, so you have to do a lot of walking as well. If none of these things sound appealing, I recommend waiting for the cortège or visiting one of the smaller Fasnacht celebrations in Switzerland.

We were lucky to secure a hotel room for Sunday night, so off we went from Bern. We chose a hotel near the train station, about a 17 minute walk from the heart of the altstadt. Remember what I said about music being played in the streets at all hours? If you want to stay the night and get any sleep at all, I recommend staying a bit away from the old city. Or bring earplugs.

We wandered around the old city after dinner and came upon several cliques practicing. Some just marched, but some also played music. We ended up following a few as they wound through the city streets getting one more practice in. The atmosphere was lighthearted and celebratory and in general very nice. We then made our way back to our hotel and to bed.

The purpose of our trip was seeing Morgestraich. Morgestraich starts at 4 am on Monday in the old city and is the event that kicks off Basler Fasnacht. At 4 am sharp, the church bells at St Martinskirche chime and all the lights in the old city are turned off all at once. The cliques pull a big lantern called a sujet and either carry or wear smaller ones on their heads; these become the only light that illuminates the city. For Morgestraich only one song is played on flutes with a drum accompaniment. It is also called the Morgestraich and is an old military marching tune. The initial drum beats and music notes combined with the slow steady march of the illuminated cliques is a spectacular experience and one of the most unique things we’ve ever seen. It is also the most chaotic thing I have ever experienced in Switzerland. It is as if the Swiss save all of their chaos and energy all year and release it on Fasnacht (and of course football games).

The cliques wind their way around the city, sometimes doing loops and sometimes just going about randomly. We positioned ourselves in Barfüsserplatz for the first part, and were lucky to catch the beginning of the march. You can also make your way to Marktplatz or Münsterplatz, or anywhere in the old city really. We got there at 3:40 and were able to get a good spot in front; I recommend arriving no later than 3:45 if you are going to one of the main squares and want to be able to see above the crowds. We stood in our spot until the initial wave of cliques passed by (I highly recommend hand warmers and toe warmers, as well as dressing warmly in general because it was literally freezing) and then wandered through the city. We mostly stuck to Barfüsserplatz and the area between there and Marktplatz. Cliques marched from all directions and didn’t necessarily follow one another. We would sometimes be watching a group go by with the ground and then the next clique would want to go through the small alleyway we were lined up in front of. So the crowd would hastily part and form a corridor for the clique to pass by, and then reform once more behind it. There was a lot of jostling but the crowd as a whole was very good natured and everyone seemed to just be enjoying the spectacle and taking it all in. This was, after all, the first Morgestraich since 2019.

At one point about an hour in, there was a lull in activity as a bunch of cliques took a break to warm up and grab some snacks or a drink. During this time the big lanterns were parked and we were able to take a closer look. The lanterns are truly works of art. They are different each year and are meant to portray some sort of commentary on current events or as satire.

We also were able to take a closer look at the masks. There are a few traditional mask types. They are all made of papier mâché. The Basel Fasnacht website does an excellent job of explaining the different mask types here.

Morgestraich continues until sunrise, which is about 6:40 in Basel. Many of the cliques started to wind down just before that around first light. We made our way to the Münster and watched the sky lighten up before heading back to our hotel for a nap. As we walked back, there were still cliques roaming the streets playing music.

Monday afternoon of Fasnacht is usually reserved for the cortège, which as far as I can tell is a bit like the Morgestraich but with even more participation. In addition to the cliques there are floats, Gugge (brass bands), horse-drawn carriages, wagon groups, and Ainzelmasgge (individual participants). Again because the Covid restrictions were lifted so recently, the cortège was cancelled, but a smaller parade was organized. We left our hotel around 11:30 and made our way to the old city. Once again, there were cliques still out. We also saw several members of different cliques heading home, probably to grab a nap and take a break. The afternoon makeup was a bit different. Now there were Gugge as well as Ainzelmasgge and smaller cliques out. Some were not wearing the traditional masks at all and had unique ones on. We even came across a group dressed as Minions.

Our objective pre-parade was to find Fasnacht food. For Basel Fasnacht there are three traditional foods to try post Morgestraich. The first is mehlsuppe (literally flour soup). It reminds me a bit of a thin soup that has a dark roux as a base. It is topped with cheese. We found this at a couple stands in various alleyways. Look for a stand with a big covered pot. The second is Fastenwähe. It is basically a pretzel with caraway seeds. We skipped this one because we were more interested in the numerous types of wurst available from the food stands (we ended up opting for Baslerwurst, served with the traditional glob of mustard and slice of bread; it pairs perfectly with a morning beer). The third food is tarts, either cheese or onion. We picked up a cheese tart on the way back to the train station and it was wonderful. There are also food and drink stands set up in all the major squares in the old city.

The parade started at 1:30. We hung out around the Münsterplatz for a bit and watched some of the cliques assemble before wandering down to Marktplatz and selecting a spot. The parade was also chaotic, but ever so slightly less so than Morgestraich. This was our first non-American parade and there were definitely some differences. There were no barriers or ribbons holding spectators back from the route. You can get as close to the action as you want. The wagons and cliques hand out candy to the children but instead of tossing it into the crowd, the kids go right up to the parade participants and hold out their hands. Sometimes they get a head full of confetti instead. Sometimes they get a pepper or an onion. For adults, there were a couple groups handing out mini bottles of alcohol. Some participants would pick a victim out of the crowd and dump confetti all over their heads and down their coats. They usually sweeten the deal with a flower or maybe some schnapps. The parade seemed to be divided into two groups going down opposite sides of the square. Every once in a while a group would decide to take a break in the square, or turn down and go around the other side. There was a food and drink stand set up in the square as well and by the time we decided we were cold and needed to head back to the train station, groups had started to break off from the parade route and were making their way through the streets or taking a break and enjoying a beer. We even saw one wagon group park in the square, fire up an outdoor stove, and start making stew.

If you want to see the Sujet without the crowds, they are usually parked in the Münsterplatz starting on Monday evening. There is also a Kinderfasnacht on Tuesday for the little ones. Tuesday is also the Guggenkonzert, where the Gugge bands gather to play. And every evening is Schnitzelbank, where groups sing songs they have written that cover political commentary, satire, and general wit. These take place at the clique cellars.

Basel Fasnacht is chaotic, colourful, loud, and joyful. It is one of the most unique festivals in the world and if you have a chance to experience it, you should.