Freiburg (dpa/lsw) – The wallets are empty, the foolish goings-on are over: With numerous customs, the fools in the southwest said goodbye to the carnival on Ash Wednesday. In Furtwangen (Schwarzwald-Baar district), Freiburg, Wolfach (Ortenau district) and Villingen-Schwenningen (Schwarzwald-Baar district), among others, they lamentably washed out their empty wallets.
“Fastnacht costs a lot of money, it’s the only time of year when you can wash your wallet,” said Roland Wehrle, President of the Association of Swabian-Alemannic Fools’ Guilds. In Furtwangen, the fool’s tree is also traditionally felled on Ash Wednesday.
In Freiburg, the guild of carters invited to a sad drink after washing the purse on the town hall square, in other strongholds of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival, a traditional meal of snails or fish is part of Ash Wednesday.
“That shapes a real fool,” said Wehrle. He looked at the end of the fifth season with mixed feelings: “It was a time of joy and cheerfulness, but it’s also good to be able to get back to everyday life now.” After all, the carnival should remain a special time.
