Last-minute costumes for Carnival: A survival guide
February 9, 2010 4 Comments
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. A survival guide by Luisa Badaracco.
Brazilian percussion in Maastricht with Passatempo
July 1, 2008 10 Comments
For the past few years Brazilian samba bands have become an increasingly popular feature of our Maastricht carnival and can no longer be dissociated from it. But what exactly are samba bands? Where do they come from? And how did they reach our city? To learn more about this phenomenon Marleen Vara speaks with three members of Passatempo, her favourite samba band in Maastricht. [continued...]
Maastricht Carnival: to beer or not to be here
January 26, 2008 1 Comment
“Nowhere in the world have I come across the magic that is Carnival in Maastricht. The people, the music, the atmosphere, the sheer joy of life make it a magical celebration”, says British expat Maxine Self, who is also the first international member of ProBeerDers, one of Maastricht’s many Carnival ‘drunk’ bands. [continued...]
De Tempeleers: guardians of the Maastricht carnival
January 3, 2008 15 Comments
For many Maastrichters, the Tempeleers go hand in hand with the Maastricht carnival. But how many of us know who are the Tempeleers exactly, and what does it mean to be a Tempeleer in Maastricht? Marleen Vara takes a closer look into the inner workings of the city’s most important carnival association. [continued...]
“De Mestreechteneer”, a poem by Bèr Essers
December 8, 2007 1 Comment
How are we to define a true inhabitant of Maastricht or “Mestreechteneer“? The following poem by the Maastricht poet Bèr Essers (31 August 1926 – 28 October 1995) reveals all:
“De Mestreechteneer“
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When God – with quite a joyful cheer
thought out the Mestreechteneer
He said: this will be a work of creation
that will give myself great satisfaction;
I will give him, as my most important gift
a complete understanding of the art to live.
[continued...]
“Carnival is a feeling”
November 9, 2007 14 Comments
Very soon you will understand the special meaning of the number eleven in Maastricht and all the joyous madness and silliness that go with it. [continued...]
The history of carnival in Maastricht
February 10, 2007 Leave a Comment
During my childhood years in the late 1950’s, carnival didn’t start earlier than one week before Ash Wednesday. Our schoolmaster at the Saint Francis primary school, in the Maastricht district of Nazareth, would set out to teach us the new carnival song in Mestreechs, the dialect of Maastricht. [continued...]
Madness in Mestreech: a Carnival lexicon
March 12, 2003 3 Comments
The three-day annual festival of carnival is about to start, but its traditions may still be a bit of a mystery to foreigners. Here is a lexicon to understand one of Maastricht’s biggest events. [continued...]
