Last-minute costumes for Carnival: A survival guide

The clock is ticking. One only needs to glance at any shop window display to be reminded of what is fast upon us: The Crazy Days.

Known by a host of names – Vastenavond in southern regions of the Netherlands, Karneval in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, Fasching in southern and eastern parts of Germany – this fifth season of the year is serious business. And like any worthwhile party, there will be a dress code. So newly-arrived expats and Carnival first-timers unite: With a little creativity and some advice from the experts – costume shop employees and university-age students – you can be well on your way to celebrating Carnival 2010 in style.

No winter wear needed for celebrations south of here, like this one in Litges, Spain

Carnival rules
The foremost thing you should be equipped with is a basic understanding of what you’re celebrating in the first place. Since at least the Middle Ages, Europeans have marked the week before Lent with street festivals, public antics and revellers in disguise. Honorary princes are elected by at-times secretive societies, bars stay open all night long, and as many as one million people pack into cities like Cologne.

The celebrations are biggest in Catholic regions, with Maastricht, Aachen, Cologne and Dusseldorf proving no exception. The German celebration appears to last longer – many cities start celebrating on Thursday with Women’s Carnival Day or Wieverfastelovend, when women assume absolute power for the day and have the authority to cut off the tie of any man who crosses their paths. In Maastricht, celebrations really take off on Sunday, when the prince hoists up the Mooswief, or an enormous papier-mâché statue of a woman who serves as the patroness of the parade.

But the common thread of both German and Dutch Carnival is the meaning behind it all. This is a time to come together, let loose, and simply have a good time – whatever that means to you. Things do get rowdy and Maastrichters in particular shouldn’t be surprised to see an ad hoc “drunk band” with a large group of not-so-professional musicians becoming increasingly out of tune with every passing bar. And for those partial to playing dress up, this is your moment to shine.

Dressed for success
Options for Carnival costumes run the gamut. One can dress as an animal, a popular character from a movie like “Star Wars” or “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a political figure, a vocation-specific worker like an artist, musketeer or sumo wrestler, and of course one of the classics: a clown. Often common are elaborate face paint designs and bold wigs – even if you just incorporate these easy to acquire details into your normal attire, you will still fit in.

Florian Stiller, a 25-year-old student at RWTH-Aachen who celebrates Carnival in his hometown of Bonn, opted to be a lumberjack this year complete with a (toy) chainsaw. In recent years, he has dressed as a dwarf and Indiana Jones and this year counts a friend’s Christmas tree costume as his favourite. He says one thing to keep in mind is originality.

“It should be something that not everyone is wearing,” said Stiller. “Carnival has no limits, so you won’t even attract attention if it is too crazy.”

Stiller adds that the costume should be warm, because “the alcohol can’t [be] the [only] warming function.”

A classmate of Stiller’s, 24-year-old Andreas Blaeser, has celebrated Carnival in his German hometown of Troisdorf, between Cologne and Bonn, and, for the last few years, Cologne. He has even celebrated in Sitges, a city outside of Barcelona, where he saw costumes made of elaborately detailed and colourful feathers, which are typical of the region. But he notes that the draw of Cologne is its exceptional creativity and remarkable costumes.

RWTH-Aachen student Andreas Blaeser (center) as a clown one year

Blaeser has yet to decide on his own costume for this year’s celebrations, preferring to be spontaneous on the day of. He has already dressed as a clown, an Irishman and a Scotsman for other Carnival celebrations this year, and has dressed as a fireman, devil and Indian in years past. He says one source of inspiration for his costumes, which are best when combined with a personal touch or homemade accessory, is the actual celebration itself.

“You get the best inspirations for new costumes by celebrating Carnival [in] crowded places,” said Blaeser. “You may see a costume that appeals to you and decide to create a similar one for next year.”

…and as an Irishman

As for advice to newcomers who have yet to decide on a costume, Blaeser says there are still plenty of options to find the right fit.

“I suggest one of the dozen carnival stores or simply a big supermarket in Cologne to buy a costume,” he said. “Those who don’t want to spend too much money for clothes but [don’t] want to abstain from Carnival…keep an eye out for Carnival clothing bazaars or second-hand shops. You will probably find a unique costume for [little money].”

Melissa Lochtman and Li-Marie Linde, both employees in the costume department of Aachen’s Galeria Kaufhof, have recently been spending both their professional and personal time preparing for Carnival. The special department in Galeria Kaufhof operates for a month prior to the big celebration, and with less than a week to go before Thursday’s kick off, the store was crowded with customers sifting through disco and prisoner garb, hot pink wigs, oversized felt kegs with leg and arm holes, and much more.

For friends and co-workers Li-Marie Linde (left) and Melissa Lochtman,
Carnival is both work and play, Galeria Kaufhof in Aachen

“When you’re outside, the best costume is an animal or something very big, like the Frog Prince,” said Linde, 19. She said that allows people to wear the costumes over their clothes, which can be helpful during cold nights.

For the younger crowd, she and Lochtman agree that the most popular costumes are princesses for girls and pirates and policeman for boys.

“The boys like the weapons,” said Lochtman, 21.

As for their own celebrations, the two will begin the weekend in the Richterich neighbourhood of Aachen on Thursday, where they’ll gather for a party under a tent with 500-600 other revellers. A costume there isn’t just advised – it’s your ticket inside. And so like any costume professional, the right costume has been a top consideration of theirs for weeks.

“My favourite way to celebrate is to go out with a group of my girlfriends, all dressed as the same thing,” said Lochtman. Last year, Lochtman and her friends dressed as Superwoman. This year, they’ll be dressed as bats.

Andreas Blaeser encountered a group of clowns at a recent Carnival celebration in Cologne

Both Lochtman and Linde agree that weather conditions should be a top consideration for selecting a costume. Parties last all day and continue well into the night, and temperatures for Saturday are predicted to be as low as -7° C. Good walking shoes are also a must.

In the end, if creativity doesn’t strike, Lochtman says there is only one thing to do.
“Just dress as a clown. Everyone becomes one anyway.”

By Luisa Badaracco

Luisa Badaracco is a freelance journalist originally from Brookline, Massachusetts. As of December 2009, she is a resident of Aachen, Germany.