Last week we talked about the Herrefàstnàcht, the carnival of gentlemen, of good people. And this week, we are going to talk about the Büürefàstnàcht literally the carnival of the peasants, which is traditionally celebrated this Sunday, after Ash Wednesday, therefore out of time. It is not because information arrives less quickly in the countryside, no, this is no longer the case since the advent of the radio. The Büürefàstnàcht is celebrated in Alsace, but also throughout the Rhine basin. It is also called d’àlemànnischi Büürefàstnàcht, the German-speaking peasant carnival, or d’àlt Fàstnàcht, the old carnival, so why the old?
Because it was perhaps the old date, the real one. Well, supporters of the Herrfàstnàcht say that the right date is theirs, we can’t get away with it. But compared to what? Do you remember when we talked about the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, when in one night we lost ten days, in 1582? Well, this difference in the week would come from there. There are also parades, clicka filled with wooden masked witches, Guggamusigg bands will come and entertain you in many places in Alsace and Baden country.
There is also the expression “wie d’àlt Fàstnàcht noch ze komme”, coming like the old carnival, coming straight out of the way, like a hair in the soup. Always because of the calendar shift compared to the official dates. And if all this Herrefàstnàcht, Büürefàstnàcht, was ultimately only a barely disguised opportunity to party twice as much?