Origin in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age Just like the carnival common in the Rhineland, the Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht takes its origins from festivities, which were celebrated to consume perishable food before the beginning of lent. These kind of events have been recorded in central Europe from at least the 13th century. Historically, the festivities would vary from region to region, and the Fastnacht of the present day has notable differences to its historical counterparts. In addition to the excessive consumption of food, customs including dances, parades or Fastnacht games became popular since the 14th century. Food played a central role as well. In the parades of the Nuremberg guilds, the so-called “Schembartläufe”, were popular around 1500 AD. Butcher's dances, which featured the dancing butchers holding sausage rings, are also known from other cities. A theory of the folklorist Dietz-Rüdiger Moser says that the conflict between the amusement/enjoyment of Fastnacht and the deprivation of Lent can also be interpreted in a theological way. Whereas, according to the augustinian two kingdoms doctrine, Fastnacht was equated with the kingdom of the devil “civitas diaboli”, Lent was seen as part of the kingdom of God or “civitas Dei”. This idea might have led to the invention of early Fastnacht figures such as devils and demons. The jester, who was considered as another central figure of Fastnacht at that time, was seen as the embodiment of evanescence, separation from god and death. Whereas studies conducted before and during the 1980s assumed that Fastnacht did not originate from Christian beliefs, scholars today agree that the existence of the church was a necessary condition for the emergence of Fastnacht. Fastnacht was an opportunity for the people to criticise authorities and also the church. This often led to prohibitions of Fastnacht. Following the reformation, not only the period of fasting was dispensed with in the regions affected, but also the Fastnacht celebrations came to an end in many parts of Central Europe. Despite this, the tradition was still kept alive in individual protestant towns for some time. The
Carnival of Basel is often presumed to be held at a later point than in other Swabian-Allemanic towns as a result of the reformation. In fact this is due to a decision made by the church in the 11th century, stating that Sundays were to be excluded from Lent. As a consequence,
Ash Wednesday was preponed by six days. Basel (and also some other towns) however still held on to the traditional day. Before
Baroque, Fastnacht had been dominated by relatively plain costumes. However, during the emergence of Baroque, the Fastnacht motives and figures went through a period of revaluation and refinement. This especially applied for the commonly used masks, which were now carved out of wood instead of using clay or paper, like it had been customary before. Additionally to this development there was an increasing and distinct Italian influence on Fastnacht, based on the
Commedia dell’arte.
Carnival and its renunciation Despite its revaluation during
Baroque, Fastnacht was thought to be a "primitive, outdated custom from the dim and distant past" in the
Enlightenment. Due to that common point of view, celebrating Fastnacht stopped or was even forbidden. This changed when, influenced by
Romanticism,
carnival started to develop. Beginning in cities like
Cologne, where Fastnacht was increasingly being organized by the intellectual middle class instead of the working class, carnival quickly established itself throughout central Europe. The original Fastnacht still existed, but was driven back more and more. Only at the beginning of the 19th century some old customs were picked up again; especially in rural areas and in the lower middle class in the Swabian-Alemannic area, people felt patronized by carnival, which was dominated by the
educated middle class, and started remembering traditions passed down from previous generations. In the subsequent period, numerous old Narrenzünfte were re-established. Until today, the
Vereinigung Schwäbisch-Alemannischer Narrenzünfte ("Union of Swabian-Alemannic Jester Guilds"; VSAN) rarely admits new members, whereas the basis of the admission can be traced back to historic custom. Soon after, the umbrella organizations Verband Oberrheinischer Narrenzünfte (1937) and Narrenvereinigung Hegau-Bodensee (1959) were founded. This founding wave remains up until today. One of the main reasons for this wave is the introduction of meetings for jesters established by
Hermann Eris Busse. The VSAN and its sister associations allow jesters to meet other jesters outside of their traditional villages. The Landesverein Badische Heimat, whose manager Busse was, hosted the first of these meetings on January 28, 1928, in
Freiburg. Today, the number and dimension of these meetings have grown to an extent in which they threaten the traditional and village specific Fastnacht. Meanwhile, there are guilds that only visit jesters meetings without having village roots. Especially the VSAN has decided to reduce any form of these meetings greatly. This decision has, however, done no harm to the growing popularity of the meetings.
Development into modern Fastnacht Up until the 20th century Fastnacht was only a local event that was celebrated solely at one's hometown. At the beginning of the 20th century the
jester guilds started to organize and form jester's unions. This led to the founding of the
Vereinigung Schwäbisch-Alemannischer Narrenzünfte in 1924. Forming this nationwide
umbrella organization was necessary because of the unstable political situation and many regional Fastnacht bans. By creating the VSAN the jesters wanted to actively represent their political interests. Furthermore, they wanted to foster and preserve their culture, which is the main task of the organization today. After its establishment the VSAN quickly became popular to such an extent, that it had to stop accepting new members. Numerous new Fastnacht characters have been created since the beginning of the 20th century alongside the organizational reform of the fool's guilds. Real historical
Narrenhäser (disguises), which also could be worn in the new century without major changes, were preserved only in a few Fastnachten. Individual parts of masks (
Larven) and disguises were much more common. They could not be classified that easily but they were combined with new characters. There were new developments of fool's guilds as well: In 1933 the
Hexenzunft in
Offenburg was founded, which was based on a combination of a fairy-tale and a medieval witch. This made the "Fastnachtshexe" a popular character of the Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht. However,
Fastnachtshexen already have been around since the 18th century in
Tirol. Another character, that was popular in the Fastnacht, is the
alte Vettel. Since the Middle Ages, the
alte Vettel was played by men in women's clothing, who would joke and jump around, based on the motto "Topsy-Turvy World".
Fasnacht in Helvetia, West Virginia (USA) The small Swiss-German enclave of
Helvetia, West Virginia, was founded by immigrants in 1869, shortly after the U.S. Civil War. The celebration of
Fasnacht (a spelling unique to the town’s Swiss-German roots, locally pronounced as "faz-nakt") continues to be the hallmark of Helvetia's cultural calendar. While the European parent tradition is often rendered
Fastnacht (meaning 'Fasting Night'), the Helvetian spelling reflects the Swiss-Alemannic dialect of its founders. Isolated by the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains, the community preserved a unique "Alpine-Appalachian" hybrid culture that remains one of the most authentic survivals of the Fastnacht tradition in North America. Unlike the large-scale parades of the Rhineland, Helvetia’s Fasnacht is an intimate, immersive experience that culminates on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. The day is defined by several key stages: • The Masquerade and "Judging of the Masks" - It is tradition for everyone to wear a mask; those who don't are often jokingly teased or "swept" away by the jesters. • The Lantern Parade at Dusk - Processional through the snowy, unlit streets of the village that leads to the community hall. • The Square Dance - Alpine-Appalachian fusion in motion, provided by the Helvetia Star Band, which has existed in various forms for over a century. The most significant departure from standard Swabian-Alemannic tradition is the inclusion of a
Sechseläuten-inspired ritual. A large effigy known as Old Man Winter is suspended from the ceiling of the community hall during the dance. At midnight, the effigy is cut down, carried outside, and ritually burned on a massive bonfire. This act serves as a symbolic "exorcism" of the harsh mountain winter, a practice that resonates deeply with the local agricultural cycle. ==Characters ==