Carnival (or Mardi Gras)

No, it isn't exactly the same thing - Carnival and Mardi Gras.  Carnival is that sorta weeks-long  time before Lent whereas Mardi Gras is that particular Tuesday before the beginning of Lent, the 6 weeks before Easter.

It's complicated.  There are so many traditions that are interwoven and it's hard to un-weave them.  There are pagan and religious traditions and there's the Saturnalia of Roman times and the Lent of Christian times and the spring-time Druid celebrations as well.

Frankly, I welcome them all.  Bring on more sunshine!  Bring on more warm! Banish those nasties of winter with lots and lots of noise!!

And for me, that is what Cannival is all about - get rid of winter and put it away with noise and color.

Bremen is not the center of such celebrations in Germany; mostly that's in Cologne and there they have not only fantastic parades but weeks of parties and shows.

We are north Germans, so it's a bit less showy.  But we know how to have fun, too.

We froze our toes and clapped our hands and tried real hard to shoo the nasty winter away.

 Hope it worked. We are ready for spring.