After finishing work for the day, I headed into Basle at the end of the afternoon for a couple of hours strolling past all the Fasnacht goings-on. Tuesday during Fasnacht is traditionally the day for
Basler children to dress up and put on their
Waggis masks. But it's more than just that. Being squeezed in between the two procession days on Monday and Wednesday, it's also quite an anarchic day when anything goes - from the piccolo players winding their way through the narrow streets of the Basle's old town, to the parent
Waggis pulling their little
Waggis (some barely aged older than two or three) through Marktplatz; from the
Ladärneusstellig (exhibition of lanterns) on Münsterplatz, to the
Guggekonzerte in the evening when thousands gather in Basle's three main squares for the official
Guggemusik concerts. Talking of Guggemusik, the whole of the city centre is transformed into one big procession again at around 7 p.m. when the various bands march and play downtown on their way to their respective gigs.
I find it hard to convey to my friends who live further afield what Fasnacht is really like, as most of them haven't experienced it, albeit Morgestraich. Fasnacht is a lot more than just the set-piece event that is
Morgestraich. It has a lot to do with the atmosphere around town.
And a contentious election poster, which appeared in 2007 (see below), is the
sujet of this lantern on Münsterplatz:
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