The “drey scheenschte Dääg” – Basel Carnival

Basel Carnival is an annually recurring spectacle. During the “drey scheenschte Dääg” (which loosely translates as “the three best days (of the year)” beginning on the Monday following Ash Wednesday, the whole city works itself into a frenzy. The official proceedings are kicked off with the “Morgestraich” procession at 4am. All streetlights are turned off in the old town, and the only light remaining comes from the tall lanterns of the various cliques. Cliques are groups that come together to play the traditional carnival music and display a specific common theme. The typical music instruments used are drums and piccolos. The so-called “Guggenmusiken”, or marching brass bands, do not appear at the Morgestraich and join the fray during the course of the carnival. Various processions (the so-called “Courteges”), Gugge concerts and lantern exhibitions are held during the three-day carnival.
Another carnival tradition is the “Schnitzelbängg”. These rhyming verses are sung in the Basel dialect and performed in the evenings in the cities restaurants and bars. The verses are satirical in nature and poke fun at headline-making events and people in Basel and around the world.
The colourful hurly-burly draws to a close shortly before 4am on Thursday morning with the “Ändstraich”. This is when the Cliques come together to bid farewell to the carnival until next year.
The three-day Basel Carnival is a must-see for anyone who wishes to get up-close to the life and soul of the city. If your seminar or event happens to coincide with “the three best days of the year”, a visit to the carnival or one of its support events is almost mandatory.