Fastnacht

Time to start the celebrations of Fastnacht (Mardi Gras) There is a fun tradition in Germany on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. The day is called " Weiberfastnacht", which means Karnival for women and on this day men are warned not to wear their very best ties to work. On that day women take over power and cut a man's tie off, he in exchange gets a gets a Bützchen, a little kiss. 

I am sure Greg would not mind if I cut his tie for a little kiss...

In the Middle Ages, upper-class woman were allowed to throw their manners out the window on this day, which was dubbed "the drinking day for dear women."

In the 18th century, some convents even recognized the anything-goes tradition and the nuns were permitted to feast, gamble and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

In the 19th century, a group of washerwoman in Beuel near Bonn, around 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) south of Cologne, laid the foundation for the present-day Weiberfastnacht celebrations.

Back then, the washerwomen had to work 16 hours a day — and not only for the high-society men who could afford it; they also had to scrub their own husbands' dirty laundry so that the men could go to Carnival parties in nearby Cologne in clean shirts. The wives had to stay at home to work and tend to the children.

Wishing you a very Happy and fun-filled Fastnacht-Mardi Gras time...HELAU!!!