I'm a simple emigrant and I'm already getting ready for the carnival

November 11 in Germany there are a whole bunch of holidays, but none of them frees us from work. 👎👎 First of all, today the carnival season officially begins, the one that ends with the carnival itself in February. Also today is St. Martin's Day and Singles Day. But one by one. Across Germany, and especially in NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), today 11.11 at 11:11 the so-called fifth season of the year officially opened — carnival season. The especially devoted take a day off and head to the mass celebrations in Cologne. On the city’s central squares thousands of people gather, music plays, many come in carnival costumes, and it's not guaranteed they’ll be wearing the same ones as in February. We didn’t go to the opening, but with the girls from the carnival group we’ve already discussed costumes for the main carnival, decided what we’ll wear and even ordered the first parts. This year for us again, the girls’ costume is sleepless nights and a ton of money, and the guys’ costume — something to throw on! There’s also a soulful side to this day — Martinstag or St. Martin's Day. In Germany it’s one of the most recognizable autumn children’s holidays. In many towns and villages festive parades with lanterns take place. Some have already happened over the weekend, and some will take place tonight. To find out whether it will be near you, you can Google “Martinsumzüge+city+2026”. Children beforehand craft paper lanterns, decorate them with drawings and lights, and in the evening go out with them into the streets. The procession is often headed by a rider in a Roman soldier’s costume — Saint Martin. According to legend, one day he met a freezing beggar and shared his cloak with him, cutting it in half. That’s why the holiday symbolizes kindness, mercy, and willingness to share with others. At the end of the procession they often light a big bonfire, children sing traditional songs, and participants are given sweets and baked goods. Well, and Singles Day. In reality, for locals this isn’t really a holiday; I’m sure many Germans don’t even know about its existence. Because the tradition came from China, and there it’s truly a big event, a lot of promotions specifically for people without a partner. And here it’s more like discounts here and there, without much logic about what ends up on sale. In general, congrats to all the singles! And tell us in the comments if you’ve already bought yourself something. If anything, sales are also on for non-singles today as well! #holidays #history #money photo: Hammer, Linda (lh)