Fools make city bosses do extra work: "Otherwise no problems"
Carnival begins this Saturday at 11.11 am. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the fools from 86 carnival clubs between Zingst and Vellahn are ready to storm town halls and symbolically take power for the fifth season. But will anyone be there on Saturday to open the door to the carnivalists and take the keys? Lutz Scherling, President of the regional carnival association, is carnivalesquely uncompromising: "We're forcing the mayors to work overtime - they probably don't have any other problems."
Hundreds of carnivalists in Rostock
In Rostock, Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger (Left Party) will have to surrender to an overwhelming superiority of jesters. Scherling is expecting several hundred participants in a procession through Kröpeliner Straße to the town hall for the nationwide opening of this year's season - or, in carnival-speak, session. Rostock has several carnival clubs.
Carnival as an outlet
Traditionally, carnival is an outlet during which uncomfortable truths can be spoken with humor and - at least for the moment - laughed away, says Scherling. The current political situation in Germany offers many starting points for hearty carnival speeches. The clubs' motto for the session is still a secret - it will only be announced on 11/11. This is also when the prince and princess couples for the new season are enthroned. "After Ash Wednesday, it'll be thick again - then you can get angry again."
Tackling sensitive issues
Even in the current international situation with wars and conflicts, Scherling says it's okay to laugh. "Even sensitive topics can be touched on and satirized. Carnival always makes people think." As a carnival performer, Scherling often plays the role of Eulenspiegel. As him, he then says sentences like this: "The extinction of species is so far advanced that there are no more white pigeons."
The mayors, including Rostock's Eva-Maria Kröger, might find themselves working beyond their usual hours due to the carnival festivities, as Lutz Scherling humorously implies. customs dictate that mayors open the doors to the carnivalists and hand over the keys, ensuring that the carnival proceedings follow their usual course.
Source: www.dpa.com
