Karneval

Karneval is a huge celebration/Holiday around here. The kids get a week off of school and the actual celebration for Karneval lasts for days. It is insane. There are numerous parades every day, in every village that last just about the entire week. It is a Catholic "pre-lent" celebration, that people go pretty crazy about. For weeks leading up to Karneval and the week of, you see people walking around everywhere in costumes, crazy wigs, face paint, etc. It seems like this is their biggest Holiday that they celebrate and in my opinion, almost every Catholic Holiday is an excuse to have big parties, get drunk and stay up throughout the entire night.

I feel a little bit bad because this was our last opportunity to go to a Karneval parade or participate in some of the activities. Our first year here, I did go to a celebration with my German friend Michaela in our little village, but have never been to a parade. I have heard that a good portion of the parades are rated "R" and are not too suitable for kids viewing. The one I really wanted to go to was the Children's parade in Sittard, but of course it was on a Sunday. Oh, well. AFNORTH (Adeline's school) does have a big celebration so I decided to go and watch. Norah was also able to dress up and be with her class for a bit. Although, she ended up being overwhelmed and just wanted to be with me.