German Carnival ball promises irreverent fun
By Philip Iglauer
Imagine a place where the expected rankings and hierarchies are all turned on their head and time runs counter-clockwise.
Here, the office manager follows the orders given by clerks, the teacher gets schooled by students and adults must obey children. The king is usurped and the priest defrocked. Life is circus fun. Here, the patients have taken over the asylum.
This “Alice In Wonderland” experience is what Carnival in Germany is all about, and you can get a taste of the experience this year in “Carnival on the Rhine and Han,” the organizers’ third annual ball, at the Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel on Friday night.
“Carnival is a funny period; everything which is not normal is possible,” said Marita Seidt, wife of German Ambassador to Korea Hans-Ulrich Seidt.
At a Carnival ball, people dress up in costumes and enjoy comic performances and satiric poetry, eat and drink delicious traditional fare and sing and dance. Clowns reign during Carnival and everyone has a good time.
Everything is turned upside down during this time. According to Carnival tradition in many German cities, a Carnival Prince and Princess take power from the usual sources of authority.
“This is the incarnation of the funny ruler during these off-normal times,” Seidt said. “The rulers who take over have a ceremony in which they go to the City Hall, dethrone the mayor and get the keys to the city.
“Carnival on the Rhine and Han” commences at precisely 7:11 p.m., which is 11:11 a.m. in Germany with the 8 hour time difference, to celebrate the number “11,” so significant in Carnival lore, as 11 is “elf” in German which, as the acronym E-L-F, is representative for the French Revolution slogan: “Egalite, Liberte, Fraternite.”
Entrance to the ball is 90,000 won for adults and 50,000 for those under 18. Entry includes a buffet dinner and drinks.
Tickets and more information about the Carnival ball can be had by checking the event website at www.1-skv.kr. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.