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Experience the Carnival in Basel 2017

02. March 2017

Fasnacht is a very important event for the people of Basel. Everyone who actively takes part in Fasnacht spends months beforehand practising the traditional marches on the piccolo or the drums. If you have never been to Basel Fasnacht, maybe this is a good year to experience this unique event!

We have put together our Coopers highlights for you in this blog post and if you scroll to the bottom of the page you will even find a small Fasnachts dictionary, which explains many of the typical Basel expressions that are used during Fasnacht. This may be useful to anyone who hasn’t grown up in Basel!

Blaggedde
The badge that is made from copper, silver or gold is called a “Blaggedde”. It has a different theme every year. Many people wear them on their jackets weeks before the event and it is like an entrance ticket to the Fasnacht. There is usually someone selling them outside Globus, at the station or other places around town. If you don’t buy one, you may get stuffed with confetti as a punishment!

Morgestraich
The moment on the Monday morning of Fasnacht when the clocks strike 4 am is called “Morgestraich”. This is when Fasnacht officially begins. All of a sudden, the lights in the city go out and the sound of piccolos and drums begins – a truly amazing feeling!

Fasnacht for Children
On Tuesday afternoon, all the children dress up and ride through the city on wooden carts. (You can buy children’s costumes in Manor, any big Migros and other places.)

Guggemusik Bands
Tuesday evening is dedicated to the brass bands (referred to as «Gugge»). Starting from around 7.30pm, they march one after the other to one of the stages on the Marktplatz, Barfüsserplatz or Claraplatz and play fun tunes that you may recognize from the radio.

Carnival Cellars and Restaurants
During Fasnacht the carnival cellars and restaurants are open to the public. Wherever you see a lantern hanging outside the doorway, you can go in. A particularly nice location is the Ari cellar on the Bäumleingasse near the Münster. The whole ceiling is one big lantern which creates a very special atmosphere. You will find more beautiful cellars at the top of the Spalenberg and along the Nadelberg. The Källerabstieg app displays many of the cellars on a map.

Schnitzelbangg
Schnitzelbangg perfomers recite satirical verses about current events in Basel or from around the world. The verses are spoken in Swiss German and a knowledge of local news is required to understand them. They tour around the cellars of the cliques on Monday and Wednesday nights. After their performance, they hand out their texts on long pieces of coloured paper. The local TV station Telebasel usually presents a good selection of Schnitzelbangg performances.

Fasnacht Delicacies: Chäsküechli, Mählsuppe and Ziibelewäje
Traditionally one eats a flour soup as well as cheese- and onion tarts at Fasnacht. All restaurants will serve these traditional foods throughout the three days. Usually one drinks beer or white wine with the meal.

Public Transport
From the 6th to the 8th of March 2017 the trams and busses have a special timetable.

Do’s and Don’ts
And here are a few tips on how to behave at Fasnacht.

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Fasnachts Dictionary
Impress your Basel colleagues with your knowledge of Basel Fasnacht vocabulary!

Blagedde – The badge that is made of copper, silver, or gold. It acts as an entrance ticket to the Basel Fasnacht.
Chaise – A horse and cart with people dressed up as old ladies sitting in the back. They hand out sweets and flowers to selected members of the crowd.
Clique – Groups of drummers and piccolo players.
Cortège – The official carnival procession that takes place on Monday and Wednesday afternoon. The carnival committee evaluates all participating cliques.
Gässle – This expression is used for walking through the lanes of the old town and popping in to one cellar, then moving on to the next cellar etc.
Gugge – Brass bands that are part of the procession and perform on the stage of Marktplatz, Barfüsserplatz and Claraplatz on Tuesday evening.
Latärne – Lanterns depicting the theme of the clique. They are carried around as part of the procession. They are displayed on the Münsterplatz from Monday evening until Wednesday Morning.
Larve – Masks (but always refer to them as “Larve”) that all participants wear during carnival.
Morgestraich – The beginning of Fasnacht at 4am on the Monday morning.
Mählsuppe – A traditional flour soup.
Räppli – Confetti that is thrown from the wagons.
Schnitzelbangg – Humorous verses recited in Swiss German usually on the topic of local or world politics.
Waggis – People dressed traditionally in a blue shirt, white trousers, and a red scarf. They also wear clogs and throw sweets and oranges from their decorated wagons.
Zeedel – This is the piece of paper that is handed out after a Schnitzelbangg performance or by the cliques during the procession.