carnival clubs. The highlight of the carnival period however is Rose Monday (Rosenmontag). Although Rose Monday is not an official holiday in the Rhineland, in practice most public life comes to a halt and almost all workplaces are closed. The biggest parades are on Rose Monday, the famous (Rose Monday Parade), e.g. in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and many other cities. During these events, hundreds of thousands of people celebrate in the streets, even if temperatures are low, most of them dressed up in costumes. Many regions have special carnival cries (Cologne, Bonn and Aachen: Alaaf!; Düsseldorf and Mainz: Helau!). The carnival in the Netherlands is partially derived from the Rhenish carnival. Alemannic Fastnacht The Swabian-Alemannic carnival is known as Fastnacht, where means the eve of the Fastenzeit (lent). Variants of the name are Fasnacht, Fasnet, or Fasent. Fastnacht is held in Baden-Württemberg, parts of Bavaria, Alsace, German Switzerland, and Austrian Vorarlberg. The festival starts on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, known in these regions as Schmutziger Donnerstag, Schmotziger Donnerstag, Schmutzige-Dunschdig or Fettdonnerstag. In standard German, schmutzig means "dirty", but actually the name is from Alemannic dialects where schmotz means "lard" (Schmalz), or "fat". It continues in some parts with the Shrove Monday, though often differently called, e.g. Güdismontag (literally: Paunch Monday) in Lucerne, and the last day before Ash Wednesday on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), in Lucerne known as Güdisdienstag (literally: Paunch Tuesday), often the most intense Fasnacht day. Also, in Germany, this used to be the time of year at the end of winter when the last of the meat from the previous year was the Schmalz (lard), or rendered fat, and this is consumed before the start of Lent. The name – Fasnacht – in its different variations is the reference to the time before the coming fasting time of Lent. However, in the Protestant Basel, the Basler Fasnacht astonishingly begins on the Monday Ash Wednesday. See also Carnival (disambiguation) Carnival society Schembart Carnivalm 15th and 16th century carnival in Nuremberg References External links Carnivals in Austria Festivals in Austria de:Karneval, Fastnacht und Fasching