Definitely Not Noah’s Fasching Party

We decided to check out the Fasching Parade in Mainz.  It was one of the biggest in Germany, what were we thinking?  We decided to try out the trains today as well, once again what were we thinking?  It all seemed like a fun and great idea, and it kind of was, but I know I wasn’t fully prepared for all that we encountered.  This was an experience that we will always remember.  First of all we were catching a train at 9 am, on a German holiday so I didn’t expect the crowds.  As we stepped onto the train we were instantly surrounded by crazy costumes and drunken passengers, at 9 AM!  They were singing and toasting and drinking and drinking and drinking.  They were willing to share their bottle, but not their seat.  I ended up holding Anya while standing and wearing a coat, scarf, and watching to make sure that none of the boys were lost.  It was HOT and crowded and loud and a LONG 2 hours.  (I couldn’t raise my arms the day after because they were so stiff and sore from holding her)  Darin was too far away from me to make a switch.  Anya was hungry and tired and added crying to the drunken singing.  A nice drunk bumble bee shared some chocolate cake and that quieted her down for a little bit (yes, I was so desperate that I let my daughter share cake with a strange, drunk, bumblebee on the train).

We went with our friends from church.  They have 6 children (all match up with ours except their oldest).  I have to think that only straight-laced mormons would take 11 children to the craziest parade of the year.

Here are some pictures from the parade.  They throw out tons of stuff and so the kids like it bunches.  Funniest is that they will chuck candy bars and if you aren't paying attention you get a good smack in the face.  I laughed when I saw large, as in dictionary large, books being tossed in the general direction of someones head.  Even though we didn't get to the parade early enough to get a front row.  The Germans, in our experience, are fine with letting the kids come up to the front and gather the candy.  They don't sit during the parades and so everyone is basically moving and shifting throughout anyway. 

Fawcett's and the Barney's

I thought that this was a hysterical costume.  I wanted my friend to sneakily take my picture with her in the background.  No, he said, "This is fasching, no sneaky pictures."  As soon as she realized that he was taking her picture she started shaking her back side while some passing men hooted.  I quickly slid across the street so as to avoid being associated with him!  I think my grandma should do this costume next Halloween.

Jag trying to eat the confetti falling from the sky.

Back of Christian's head.  The first kid to make it to the front lines!

Everyone carried their own bottle, at least one.

I think this guy in the front is a spy.  He wins the creepiest costume at the parade award.

We were hoping that the train ride home would be a little less packed and include seats for all.  Not so much.  However when the ticket checker man came by, a bunch of the ticket-less teens jumped off and we were able to take their seats.  We ran into another family from church on the ride home.  Between the 3 families we had 17 children, we took up most of the car.

We had a debriefing with our kiddos over dinner once we were at home.  We talked about the lessons learned.  You know the ones that include drinking so much that you fall on your face and people step over you to take your seat on the train.  Jag quickly grabbed his scriptures and shared a few that fasching reminded him of.  Mainly Laban getting so drunk that Nephi was able to cut off his head.  We all agreed that would be bad. 

We had a great time with our friends and really experienced a German Fasching, but we won't be going back.