The Parade to the Fair

Every year, for over 200 years now, traders and entertainers have gathered in Vegesack, our little corner of Bremen, for a fall market.  That in itself is amazing to me, a not-quite 20-year resident of Vegesack.  That's even older than our house, and that is pretty old by my standards.

The fair has evolved into more of a fun fair than a trading fair, just like the Oktoberfest in Munich and all the other less well-known outdoor festivals around Germany.  Here it began as a cattle selling fair. Just last weekend was the Heirratsmarkt Bruchhausen-Vilsen (the Bruchausen-Vilsen Marriage Market) a fair that was known in former times for introducing young women to potential husbands (or vice versa!), mostly farmers.  I think they still do this in Iowa.  Or Montana. Or someplace like that.

But this weekend, the  203rd Vegesack Fall Market (Vegesacker Herbstmarkt) opened with a parade, as usual. I love it!  It is so small-town and friendly and intimate and just a lot of fun.

It starts with the Honorary Grand Marshals in their top hats and tails.

They're followed by the Chimney Sweeps in their traditional costumes, handing out lucky pennies.  What's funny is, it isn't a euro penny but a brand new "old" Pfennig.  Lucky me, I got a Pfennig.

What's a parade without horses with riders in dragon hats?

Or the local Werder Bremen fans?  (We're the 12th man - so says the sign.)

Or kids on unicycles?

Or an Eiffel Tower made of wheat stalks?  Really, don't you have one of those in your parades??

And then of course there's the odd one out.

Naturally, there's a marching band or two.  Here the bands are not sponsored by schools but by clubs, so the membership ranges from kids to retirees, men and women.  Not the Marching Chiefs of FSU, but fun just the same.