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The "Morgestraich" (Morning Tattoo) |
| (click on any of the pictures on this page for a larger image) |
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On
the Monday after Ash Wednesday, the city wakes to the sound of the
"Morgestraich" (Morning Tattoo), which originally marked the
changing of the military guard. At the stroke of 4 o’clock, the center of town goes totally
black: all streetlights are automatically extinguished and the city
erupts into a thunderous pandemonium of sounds, as twenty thousand drums
and piccolos simultaneously launch into the traditional Fasnacht tunes
particular to Basel. It
is an eerie picture: the
only source of light coming from the thousands of little, illustrated
transparent lanterns worn by all the participants on top of the mask, as
well as from the enormous lanterns (illuminated transparencies depicting
the satirical theme of each group) weaving their way through the streets
and alleyways of the old town. To
the die-hard Fasnacht fan this moment brings an undescribable tingle of
exitement. The town center is thronged with tens of thousands of spectators (exceeding 100,000 in a good year), as hundreds of groups, large and small, parade drumming and fifing criss-cross through the town until dawn, stopping in between for the traditional fare of "Mehlsuppe", "Zwiebel-" and "Käsewähe". |
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