5 ways in which Basel Fasnacht reminds me of Holi in India

Traditions and culture give character to a place. For me personally, delving into local culture, history, mythology and food is the most fascinating aspect of travel. I am glad to have been staying in Basel, Switzerland for the last three years and attending various events of the biggest celebration of the year – Fasnacht (Carnival) on multiple occasions. This year too, I woke up at 3 am on a Monday morning to attend the Morgenstraich (opening parade) which begins at 4 am sharp when all the street lights are switched off. In the midst of being pushed along with the crowds, being stuffed with confetti, witnessing the Fasnacht parades, relishing Käsewähe and completely in awe of the colours and enthusiasm in the city of Basel during these magnificent three days, I had an epiphany of sorts.

Fasnacht in Basel is like Holi in India, except with confetti !

 

 

Confused? Here’s what struck me and led me to think about 5 ways in which Basel Fasnacht reminds me of Holi, the festival of colours, in India :

 

Preparing for the Swiss Carnival: Basel Fasnacht

 

The Mental preparation: Game on

Basel Fasnacht :You’ve got to be prepared for being attacked with confetti on the streets. Yes, random kids and strangers will take the opportunity to throw as much confetti on you as possible. Maybe kids will even gang up on you and stuff your jackets with multi-coloured confetti.

Holi: You’ve got to be prepared for being attacked with colours – dry or mixed with water. You can choose to remain in the confines of your neighbourhood or attend a Holi party to play Holi with familiar faces , but you never know when a water balloon lands on you or when someone spontaneously decides to colour your face with the darkest shade possible.

It will leave it’s traces.

Basel Fasnacht: No matter how hard you try to brush off the confetti, your bedroom, living room and washroom will be full of these coloured bits of paper and you’ll discover confetti in the strangest of places – on and around you!

Holi: All the scrubbing you do will not help in getting off those colours from your face and body for days to come. Say hello to your pink face for the next 10 days or more.

 

Requires meticulous planning and organization.

Basel Fasnacht: The clique members have to do a lot of preparations to do before the Fasnacht – get their costumes ready, decide on their theme, practice their music and hoard up on confetti.

Kids probably have one mission for all 3 days – fill your fists with as much confetti as possible attack anyone – with or without a badge. Oh, and collect lots of candies and oranges.

You prepare yourself by buying the Fasnacht badges (blagatte-costing a minimum of 9 CHF) and hope to not get attacked too much. Also, you gear up to either stay up all night or sleep for a short while before attending the 4 am Morganstreich (opening parade). You know it might be difficult to get a good spot for watching the parade if you are too late.

 

Holi:

Old clothes. Check.

Opaque t-shirt. Check (Personal preference)

Oiled hair and hands. Check.

Nail paint to protect your nails. Check

Gulaal/Pichkaari/water balloons. Check.

Strategy for ‘Bhaang wali Thandaai’? Roger that.

Note:Bhaang is eatable preparation of marijuana that people generally mix in milk-based drinks (like Thandaai) for Holi. Though you will not feel any immediate effects, it might hit you hard after an hour or two. Best bet is to eat something and then sleep for the effects to wear out.

 

 

Traditional food

Basel Fasnacht: Every turn you take and every vendor/cafe you spot – there will be Käsewähe, ZweibelWähe and Mehlsuppe waiting for you everywhere.

Holi : Every Holi gathering or celebration you spot, you are bound to see Thandaai and Gujiyas doing the rounds.

(And teenagers talking to the Thandaai in-charge saying : “Bhaiya, woh waala glass dena” while chuckling to their friends).

 

From where I stand

Basel Fasnacht: For at least 3 days, all roads will be covered with a carpet of confetti.

Holi: For several days, the coloured roads will remind you of the festival.

 

At the end of the day, you don’t really mind the chaos and join in the celebrations with enthusiasm.

Bura na maano, Holi hai!

 

Image taken from Flickr-Steven Garner

 

Have you visited a carnival or played Holi? Let me know in the comments below and share the post with anyone who loves festivals!

 

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