Fasnet in Sigmarengen
(Note, this is a post about Fasnet in Sigmarengen only. I went from town to town in the Black Forest area in Germany to experience Fasnet first hand – if you’ve landed on this article, you should start HERE).
Sigmaringen is a lovely town (with an awesome castle – more on this in a bit) in the Baden-Württemberg district and is the capital of Sigmaringen district. The Schloss Sigmaringen is a lovely sight to see, nestled right next to the main town – and looking down at the people below.
The lovely Sigmaringen Castle, dominating the town skyline.
Fasnet in Sigmaringen is a lot of fun. Called “Brauteln”, this is one of the most colourful festivals held during the Fasnet celebration week in the Black Forest region. Every year, on Shrove Tuesday – last year’s newlyweds and husbands who have celebrated a special wedding anniversary (like a 50th anniversary) – are carried by a padded pole around the town fountain. While they’re carried around the fountain, they chuck fistfuls of pretzels, sausages (yum!), and candy to children and the audience (wow, I got so much candy!)
A married man celebrates on top of a pole – being carried around by the traditional “Brautlingsgessellen”
If you’re going to be carried around, you may as well do it in style! (Note the candy being thrown – I didn’t get that one)
Now that’s an incentive to get married!
This gentleman was celebrating 50 years of marriage. Amazing!
I’ll admit, I was fairly intrigued by the fact that the festival in Sigmaringen revolves around the men celebrating getting married, so I started asking questions. As it turns out, the festival originated during the 30-year war in 1648 – where the war left the common people in pretty bad shape, and getting married was the last thing on their mind. To promote weddings, the mayor promised newlywed men that whey would be carried around the fountain in style (and in all probability, receive an unlimited supply of beer for a week!) – this carried on, and soon became a tradition.
Fun aside: The parade always starts with the man who’s been married the longest – and ends with the man who’s been married the shortest. So if you’ve been married a long time and are planning on settling down in Sigmaringen, remember that you’re going to get tossed around a fountain every year! Also, most of this involves the men – the women don’t get anything for being married so long!
The parade itself has its fair share of colourful characters:
The Narrenzunft Vetter Guser – or brown bats!
These guys weren’t bats – I’m guessing wolves?
If you’re not in a guild – just dress up in something fun!
The parade would really be incomplete without the bands – they really keep the party going
You also run into VIPs – like the owner of the Sigmaringen Castle!
The afternoon highlight has to be the BIG community meal in the local community hall. Lots of good food.
What I love about Germany: There’s always lots of beer and lots of pretzels in easy reach
Where to stay in Sigmaringen
I didn’t stay in Sigmaringen town, but there are plenty of places to choose from. I stayed at The Mercure, Villingen-Schwenningen, which is a short (90-120 mins) drive away. Read my post on Fasnet in Villingen-Schwenningen for more information there.
The Mercure, Villingen-Schwenningen
Don’t forget!
Don’t forget to check out my other blog posts on Fasnet in and around the Black Forest region. Click on any of the links below to go to the individual stories.
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