Belgium's German speaking community will kick off carnival celebrations this weekend, with festivities in various towns in the east of the country.
On Saturday 2 November the 72nd carnival prince will be announced in the eastern town of Kelmis (also known by its French name Calamine). This will mark the start of carnival celebrations that will last several months. Festivities will culminate with Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) on 3 March.
Carnival can be traced back to the beginning of the 13th century and marks the lead-up to the pre-Easter fasting period of Lent. This year’s prince and his entourage come from the royal society "Les dragons verts" of Moresnet.
Accompanied by his jester, treasurer, and two pages, the prince will lead the KeNeHeMo carnival, which includes the communities of Kelmis (La Calamine), Neu-Moresnet, Hergenrath, and Moresnet.
On 11 November, the official day of the Rhenish carnival launch, various events will take place in the eastern part of the Liège province. In La Calamine, there will be a Küschespektakel (pig show) held on Sunday, 10 November.
Starting on Saturday 16 November, costume parties (Kappensitzungen) will be organised almost every weekend, except during the year-end holidays. These events will continue until the early hours of Rosenmontag.
Several thousand people are expected to parade through the streets with colourful floats and costumes. Large crowds usually attend this procession, which is a typical feature of the Rhenish carnival and is awaiting recognition as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
