Reflection by Michelle Mattern

This past February, I had the opportunity to go to Köln during Karneval, also known as their 5th season, along with my sister and mom. The 5th season involves candy, costumes and camaraderie. My trip started at the Mayor’s reception with the Bürgermeister of Hürth, Dirk Breuer, where we got to meet and learn more about the city of Hürth and Dirk’s experience as a Grand Marshall of the Steuben Parade in 2022. We also got to eat Berliners (a jelly donut) which are a common treat during Karneval.

The next day, we got to celebrate the official opening of Köln Karneval at the Historical City Hall, where I got to meet the Oberbürgermeister of Köln, Torsten Burmester. The City Hall turned into a party to kick off Karneval where there was a DJ that played music and Karneval groups that performed. A huge thank you to Laura Lupinski for providing my family and I with such a warm welcome. From 11:11am,Thursday until Tuesday of the following week, it was parties,costumes and Karneval songs 24/7.

We then got to experience a “Sitzung” hosted by KG Kölsche Grielächer vun 1927 e. V. I would describe this event as a night of continuous performances ranging from musicians to comedians. Everybody was schunkeling, dancing, singing and laughing all night long. It was a fantastic night.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure to participate in Hürth’s parade where I was invited to join the float of Grosse Knapsacker Karnevalsgesellschaft 19355 e. V. I was accompanied by the Vorstand and the Dancing Couple of the group. As we were riding along the streets of Hürth, we threw candy and flowers to the viewers of the parade while singing and dancing to Karneval music. After the parade, I got invited back to their clubhouse for food and drinks. The Knapsacker’s were such a welcoming and great group to be with.They truly made me feel like I was a part of their group for the day. It was such a unique and cool experience to be in a local parade. The next day, I got to view the Hürth- Efferen parade and experience getting candy thrown at me. It was a fun family filled weekend.

My last full day in Köln was Rosenmontag where I got to view the Rosenmontag parade from the Tribune of RheinEnergie. The parade brings in almost a million people each year from all over the world and lasts around 5 hours. As soon as the parade started, it was full of energy and everyone was having fun, even the EMTs were dancing along to the music! We were given a special “Kamellebüggel” (Tote bag specifically for candy) and by the end of the parade, the Kamellebüggel was overflowing with candy. It was cool to see all the floats and different costumes. I even saw some Karneval groups that marched in the Steuben Parade march in the Rosenmontag parade!

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Bürgermeister Dirk Breuer of Hürth and his team (Tobias Pullen, Martina Thiele-Effertz, Ingo Muller and Giuseppe Piliero), for creating a wonderful itinerary and the great hospitality. I also want to thank the President of Grosse Knapsacker Karnevalsgesellschaft 19355 e. V., Thomas Georg and everyone else that made my trip an unforgettable experience with memories that will last a lifetime. Kolle Alaaf!