Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler celebrates carnival and collects 15,000 euros!

Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler celebrates carnival and collects 15,000 euros!

The fifth season is celebrated today in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Five carnival societies from the district town have come together for the traditional “hat meeting” to celebrate this special day. The Ahrweiler Carnival Society, the KG Blau-Weiss Neuenahrer Schinnebröder, the KG Rot-Weiß Bachem, the KG “Närrisch Landskroner” Heimersheim and the KG “Bunte Kuh” Walporzheim are there with a lot of enthusiasm to arouse anticipation for the carnival. As [blick-aktuell.de](https://www.blick-aktuell.de/berichte/Bad-Neuenahr-Ahrweiler- Feiert-Auftakt-der-fuenften-Jahrszeit-645515.html) reports, the event took place on the market square in Heimersheim, and the good mood was noticeable despite the approaching November 11th, the official start of the carnival.

The mayor of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Guido Orthen, gave the starting signal for the session at 11:11 a.m. In his opening speech, he emphasized the essential role of the carnival for children and youth work in the city. “Carnival is more than just celebration; it is a valuable part of our community,” says Orthen. Together with Thomas Theisen from VR Bank RheinAhrEifel eG, Orthen presented each carnival company with a donation check for 3,000 euros, which underlines the importance of promoting youth work. A total of an impressive 15,000 euros were collected for children and youth work on this day.

A foolish celebration

The end of the day took place in the Landskroner Festival Hall, where an entertaining and crazy program was attended. The mood was exuberant and cheerful, which only increased the anticipation of the carnival highlights to come. Every year the carnival in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler is very popular, and not without reason.

But how is it that carnival is so deeply rooted in the culture? If you take a look at Cologne, you will find the beginnings of Carnival, documented in the city's oath book in 1341. This can be traced back to the deepest roots of society through historical writings. The Cologne farmer was first mentioned in a poem in 1422, and since 1823 the “Hero Carneval” has been at the head of the Cologne Carnival. In 1871 he became Prince Carnival, which laid the foundation for the Cologne triumvirate. As the Archdiocese of Cologne explains, this trio has been active as a unit since 1883 and has been officially referred to as the “triumph” since 1937.

Traditions and challenges

Traditionally, it is men who embody the roles in the Cologne triumvirate, which has been discussed again and again over the years. The Reformation also had an influence on Carnival celebrations, as many customs were forgotten in Protestant regions. In Cologne, however, Carnival remains an indispensable part of cultural life, despite occasional attempts to ban the celebrations in order to preserve public order.

With the opening of the carnival session in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, the foundation has been laid for a colorful and happy time. The anticipation is palpable and the community will surely come together again and live out its traditions at the numerous events and celebrations in the coming weeks.