Narri! Narro!

So the week before Lent is celebrated a bit more vigorously in Germany than it is in most of North America. The festivities typically begin on "Dirty Thursday," which I honored by partaking of the traditional fare of jelly donuts (do we need a holiday for this?). Although Tübingen has its share of events for Carnival, the nearby town of Rottenburg am Neckar, which is historically Catholic, is more famous for its own celebrations. Together with a lab colleague (Vahan) and his friend, I ventured there to see the spetacle of the "Fasnets-Ommzug" held on Tulip Sunday. The lively costumes and the Narren wearing them were quite a sight to behold. Onlookers were beaten with sow bladders and brooms by some and showered with bite-sized bars of Ritter Sport by others. Ushering in several weeks of self-denial was, at least for me, never so entertaining. You can see a few pictures I took here. Now I look forward to Krokant-Eier and (more) marzipan.