In Lucerne, 15,000 people crowded into the Old Town for the 5am blast and confetti shower, which featured 5.3 million scraps of paper. Dressed in elaborate costumes, brass bands provided the soundtrack.
The Luzerner FasnachtExternal link – as it is called in German – runs for nine days. Carnival in Switzerland typically begins on “Dirty Thursday” – the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. However, Basel holds its carnival after Lent.
Also early on Thursday morning, several thousand carnival-lovers in Solothurn rang bells and blew horns to kick off the festivities. The party will continue in other central Swiss communities, and also in cantons Aargau, St Gallen and Ticino.
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Basel’s Fasnacht honoured
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Basel Fasnacht has been added to the UNESCO list of events exhibiting the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. This is defined as the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills recognised as part of a country’s cultural heritage. It is sometimes called living cultural heritage. Basel Fasnacht is the biggest carnival in Switzerland, featuring “Morgenstreich”, a surreal parade. At 4am on…
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Zurich opera sells costumes ahead of carnival season
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One of Switzerland’s most prestigious opera houses is selling off about 5,000 costumes and accessories no longer needed for its shows.
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In one of Switzerland’s largest ‘Fasnacht’ celebrations, costumed revellers make their way through the streets in the early hours of the morning, playing music on flutes and drums, and parading large illustrated lanterns, often making a satirical political point. Festivities start at 4am, when the streetlights are switched off and the eerie sound of flutes…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.