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Article: BASEL FASNACHT.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Swiss News
- Article date:
- March 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Swiss News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the early morning hours of March 5, the streetlights of Basel's Old Town will suddenly go out, plunging the winding streets into total darkness.
Then, precisely at 4 a.m., the area is transformed into a fantastic spectacle of giant lanterns (Kopflaternen) and the sound of fifes and drums. Morgestraich officially kicks off the most colourful of Switzerland's pre-Lenten carnivals--three days of unabated merrymaking during which normally conservative Baselers let go.
Not long after I arrived in Switzerland, more than 20 years ago, I joined a group organised by the American Women's Club of Geneva to witness Morgestraich--and the rest of the day's ...