Later that day...

Monday at Fasnacht is a very long day, since it starts at about 2:30 AM. Even with a mid-morning nap between parade courses, we were completely exhausted by the time we made it back to what we affectionately referred to as our 'pit' at the hostel (what else can you call a hostel dorm room with 12 stinky sleeping people in it?) at the end of the day. It was a nice pit, and our lovely innkeeper gave us a great discount, so I'm not complaining!

But about Monday afternoon! The parades started again at 13:30! These sort of resembled the Guggemusik (good musicians playing badly) bands of the Bellinzona Rabadan, except not at all. Because these groups, like the fife and drum cliques from the wee hours of the morning, also had satirical themes which were demonstrated by their costumes, masks, and floats from which the Waggis (a traditional Fasnacht character) threw confetti, fruit, and flowers.

This Waggis wanted to give me a flower, but I was too busy taking his picture so I missed his float. There's a metaphor for my life somewhere in that sentence...

The guggemusik bands were really exciting after an early morning full of piccolo playing (which was also really exciting). I liked the guggemusik masks because they had holes built in where you could put your horn!

Guggemusik marching band!

But just because there were guggemusik groups out there doesn't mean that the fifes and drums went away. Really, for three days, around every corner were more piccolos! As the days progressed, and more of the 'wild' groups came out, the meetings of piccolo/guggemusik groups became more and more frequent. There would often be two groups walking in opposite directions, towards one another on the street. Neither group would ever back down, but they kept marching onwards. I'm surprised more piccolo vs. trombone fistfights don't sprout up.

Waggis throwing confetti from a wagon

In addition to Waggis on wagons, there were some wild ones, running around throughout Fasnacht. Their job is to stuff confetti down your shirt/jacket/scarf/whatever if you are not wearing your blaggedde:

Fasnacht badge

The blaggedde is basically your ticket to Fasnacht. Proceeds from the sales of these pins help the official cliques organize for next year's celebration. As far as the wild waggis chasing un-blaggedded people around, I think that's just an excuse. Seemed like a lot of people wearing their pins were accosted as well!

I was surprised that entire cliques would just leave their masks, lanterns, and gear out on the street while they were taking breaks in bars and restaurants. It wasn't uncommon to see a whole group's masks just lined up, apparently unattended throughout the day.

Masks and drums taking a break

The political commentary of this festival is not limited to the lanterns, which are impressive. Throughout the days, many politically-themed cliques roamed the streets. Also, the tradition of Schnitzelbanggling takes place most evenings of the festival at private parties. We caught a glimpse of some unofficial Schnitzelbangglers on Sunday evening (before anything was supposed to be happening!) and I'm glad we did. Although we searched, we couldn't find any on the evenings they were supposed to be happening. Not that we would have understood much anyway. The commentary is sung entirely in Swiss German by a masked singer, accompanied by illustrated placards. Mostly it's local politics that are up for grabs, but, as with the lanterns, global events and issues also make it into the year in review.