Weiberfastnacht - Women's carnival

Women’s carnival

With the traditional Weiberfastnacht  (Women’s carnival) the carnivalists start into the street carnival season in the Rhineland. Today the celebration takes place on Thursday before Ash Wednesday and rings in the high point of the Carnival. The idea to leave the power to the women on one day of the carnival celebrations can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In the entire Rhineland the Weiberfastnacht counts as an unofficial holiday. Often there is no more work after noon. Today the celebrations usually start at 11:11 o'clock.

Already from the 18th century it is handed down from Cologne that the market women and female workers tore their hoods mutually at noon on that day. Thus they were no longer "under the hood" (an expression showing the subordination of married women to their husbands) and allowed themselves liberties.

Since the middle of the twentieth century, women's assumption of power has been symbolized by the cutting of ties. For this assault the men are compensated with a kiss - called ‘Bützchen’.