RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘fasnacht’

Badener Fasnacht: Day 4

06 Mar

Stage in Baden's Cordulaplatz

The massive Baden Fasnacht festival continued into the early morning hours today.  I was so tired from walking around all day with my camera gear that I managed to sleep through it.  I think it was a little different for my wife last night.

The battle continues to see who has the best costumes and music.  The strange thing is I always wonder how they judge the best music.  Is it loudness, outdatedness of the selected pieces or what.  A lot of the music seems to be classic hits from the 80′s or early 90′s.  Somehow that must seem appropriate for brass and drum bands.

To give a little more flavor of the sounds of the festival below I’ve included a short video taken late in the evening. There is a constant stream of people walking around banging on drums and it can really get on your nerves after a day or two. I can feel that I am reaching my limit. Thank God this will all be over soon.

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Badener Fasnacht: Day 3

05 Mar

Day Time Celebration

Moving into day 3 now.  Saturday is always the first day when the celebration starts early and goes late.  The music outside of our apartment started around 10:30 this morning and I suspect it will go all night.  By all night I mean until about 6 in the morning.  I am just taking a break after a couple of hours of photography and then I’ll head back out and get a beer and ‘enjoy’ more of the music.

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Badener Fasnacht: Day 2

04 Mar

Badenerfasnacht 2011

Fasnacht and sleepless nights continue.  As always you might was well join them because they aren’t going a way.  I really liked one groups set of costumes this year that were decorated in the motif of canton (state) flag.  Three stars, three strips, and black and blue. I can’t imagine someone dressing up like a state flag in the U.S. but here it seems to be acceptable.

I had several people ask me if I was a photographer for the local paper.   I guess the colored flashes and camera gear gave them the idea.

I am finding I don’t mind getting a little extra attention with the camera gear because some of the people that are dressed up are more likely to pose for you.

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Fasnacht Begins

03 Mar

Baden Fasnacht 2011

Today marks the start of fasnacht in Baden.  That means we’ll have a week of drum banging and loud trumpets outside our apartment until next Tuesday evening.  I decided to join in the fun today while the celebration as still fresh and wasn’t wearing on me yet.  I know by Sunday or Monday I’ll be ready for it to be over.

I took the opportunity to play with a few birthday gifts as well while I was out.  I just got a few colored flash gels for my flash guns.  I was using a red and green filter for the image above.  One guy approached me and asked if I was shooting 3D.  I thought that was a funny, but good question I suppose.  I’m sure I looked a little strange out there with my gear.

 
2 Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Flaming Street Parade: Liestal

23 Feb

Crowd Cringes in Pain From The Searing Heat

I need to do a follow up on the early post about the crazy fire parade I went too, because it was just so strange. I haven’t had time to go through all of the 5 gigs of photos yet, but as I am going through them I am finding more and more. I like the one above that focuses on one of the mobile 6 foot high (2 M) mobile bon fires on a cart. In the background you can see one of the Firefighters, in protective gear turning his back on the fire because it is so hot.

Just imagine for a second how hot this must be if the firefighter is turning his back in all that protective gear and that sad guy next to him is just standing there in a nylon ski jacket. If you look into the crowd all you see is backs of head, because if you face these carts of fire your face starts to burn. It is just absolutely crazy.

Although it isn’t clear in the picture the crowd is probably less than 6 feet from the flames.

Man Resting With Burning Broom

One of the other traditions is something that looks like a huge burning broom. It is essentially a pile of logs strapped to a stick. The guys will lift these flaming torches and carry them over their shoulder like a hobo sack. All the while, burning embers and pieces of wood falling on their heads. Many of the men will cover there heads in wet towels or wet hats. Another popular accessory was a metal colander worn upside down on the head as a helmet.

Man Marching through the Liestal Parade with burning broom.

Did I forget to mention that the entire street is also covered in about an eighth of an inch (.5 cm) of paper confetti? It was just amazing to me that the entire town didn’t just burst into flames.

 
No Comments

Posted in Swiss Day Trips

 

Flaming Street Parade

21 Feb


This evening we went out to a small town towards Basel to check out something that I would have to consider as one of the most unsafe public spectacles I have ever witnessed.

This Fasnacht (Carnival) parade was a one hour show of men and women dragging various flaming objects through the street.

On the website there are warnings to wear old clothes in case you get burned and no children under 6 or dogs are allowed.

Some of the portable bon fires are so intense that the crowd has to turn their back or risk being burned. I have some amazing photographs and this is just one so there will surely be more to come.

 
4 Comments

Posted in Swiss Day Trips

 

Baden Fasnacht Light Show 2010

15 Feb

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmNyQ67Z5vg&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

City Clock Tower Light Show

Our city clock tower a stones through away from my balcony has been blazing away like a cheap Las Vegas strip neon sign for the the last couple of nights. This is all to celebrate Fasnacht of course.

I posted a still image of the tower a couple of days ago but it somehow didn’t capture the cheap seedy hotel feel that I get when I wake up at 3:00 in the morning to go to the bathroom and am blinded by the flashing lights across the street.

Usually, like clockwork, the spot lights on the clock tower shut off at midnight. This is of course not the case during fasnacht season. I was actually pleasantly surprised both yesterday evening and tonight as aside from the light show there was a strange calm on the streets. Like everyone is resting, waiting in the wings for the big celebration that is coming tomorrow evening.

This video is a time lapse movie shot over 1 hour. In real time the lights change about every 20 seconds.

 
No Comments

Posted in Daily Life

 

Fasnacht 2010: Update

14 Feb
Guggenmusik Group Wandering the Streets

Last night, the Saturday in the middle of fasnacht is usually one of the loudest of the entire 6 day event. I think that is in part because of the ‘working’ people can stay out until the wee hours of the morning and still have time to recover on Sunday.

This photograph was taken close to our apartment in the center of town. Bands such has this one walk through the streets banging their drums and blowing their horns as loud as then can. Last night I heard 2 new songs I haven’t heard covered before. The theme song from the old T.V. program bonanza, and ‘Black or White’ by Michael Jackson.

The peak of the noise seemed to be around 10:00 pm when the groups were really going and probably still sober enough to make lots of noise. I went to sleep around midnight. I did not get my usually 2:00am wake up call, but I was woken by a group that walked under our balcony around 4:00am and then again an 5:00am. By 5:00am this morning I think everyone had worn themselves out because that was the last of it.

Only two more days and then I will be free from this. Although Tuesday night is usually the loudest evening, I actually will be out of town on business. That is just one small saving grace in all of this.

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Baden Fasnacht 2010

11 Feb
Baden Fasnacht 2010

At 6:00 pm today the cannon sounded and the festivities began. Baden’s 2010 fasnacht celebration is underway. Of course I had to take to the streets and visit the stages to witness the monstrosity first hand.

It is the typical setup of several stages around town, lighted, and with gluhwien stands. Each group stops on the stage and plays the required classics. Blasting as loud as they can on their brass instruments and drums. All the while the next band is in the wings dancing and making ready for their next set.

It is 6 nights of obnoxious mayhem. But I’m ready. This will not beat me! I…..will…..survive!

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 

Preparing For Fasnacht

10 Feb
Lights On the Baden Stadtturm

It is that time of year again, the streamers are hung and the colored lights are in place. Tomorrow starts the fasnacht celebration here in Baden. In past years we have made the effort to leave town. The guggenmusik below our balcony was just too much. This year we are hoping it won’t be that bad as most of the activities that used to be below are apartment have since moved around the corner to the Theaterplatz.

Don’t get me wrong, it will still be loud, with lots of dressed up people walking through the streets. Soming drinking, some playing loud brass instruments, and some just there to watch.

This year we have a friend coming in for the weekend to visit us from Germany. I’m sure we’ll have to go down to the celebration so she can see the craziness. I don’t know if she picked a good or a bad weekend to visit. In the end it will be fun no matter what happens.

I know the nights can run long, sometimes until dawn. It should be an very interesting weekend.

 
No Comments

Posted in Festivals

 
« Older Entries