"MV Helau!": The fools are on the loose - into the floods in costume
The fifth season has also begun in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. At the central event, several hundred carnivalists took over the foolish sceptre in Rostock. Just in time for the start of carnival on Saturday, 11.11. at 11.11 a.m., the jesters took over the town hall on Neuer Markt, where Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger (Linke) handed over the town hall key to the royalty present, celebrating with music, dancing and Helau. The head of the city of Neubrandenburg did the same.
"From today, there will be singing, dancing and laughter," said Lutz Scherling, President of the regional carnival association, at the event on the second floor of Rostock Town Hall, where the central carnival event in MV took place. He promised that the carnival reign until Ash Wednesday would not necessarily make everything better straight away, but that it would be more fun and colorful. There are 86 clubs organized in the association.
The Rostock Sea Dogs, who have been dedicated to winter swimming in the Baltic Sea since 1988, had once again prepared a special performance. Dressed in colorful costumes, the swimmers plunged into the water at 11.11 a.m. sharp, dressed as cowboys, Vikings, sheikhs or in men's suits in water temperatures of 8.5 degrees and sunshine. The seals meet for their winter swim in all weathers from September to April.
The carnival fans were also able to find out more about traditions at Rostock Town Hall, where the exhibition "33 years of carnival in Rostock and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" is on display until November 17. It also explains that it was Rhinelanders who brought carnival to Mecklenburg at the beginning of the 1930s and founded carnival clubs here.
Despite the cold water temperatures, the Rostock Sea Dogs continued their tradition of winter swimming in costumes on the 11th of November. The fixed annual event saw swimmers dressed as cowboys, Vikings, sheikhs, and in men's suits plunge into the Baltic Sea.
The customs of carnival were showcased in the exhibition "33 years of carnival in Rostock and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern", which provided information about the history of carnival in the region. It was highlighted that the Rhinelanders were responsible for introducing carnival traditions to Mecklenburg at the beginning of the 1930s and establishing carnival clubs.
Source: www.dpa.com
