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[[File:Berner Fasnacht 2010 057.jpg|Participants in the 2010 carnival|350px|thumb]]
{{Short description|Festival in the Swabian-Alemannic tradition}}[[File:Berner Fasnacht 2010 057.jpg|Participants in the 2010 carnival|350px|thumb]]


The [[carnival]] in [[Bern]], Switzerland ({{lang-de|Berner Fasnacht}}) is an annual pre-[[Lenten]] festival in the [[Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht|Swabian-Alemannic]] tradition.
The [[carnival]] in [[Bern]], Switzerland ({{langx|de|Berner Fasnacht}}) is an annual pre-[[Lenten]] festival in the [[Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht|Swabian-Alemannic]] tradition.


Its origins can be traced back to the 15th Century, and in 1513 the carnival led to a peasant revolt.<ref name=" Violence in early modern Europe, 1500-1800 Page 178">{{cite book |title = Violence in early modern Europe, 1500-1800|author= Julius Ralph Ruff| publisher = Press syndicate University of Cambridge|year = 2001 |ISBN=978-0-521-59894-1 |url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Q5SAfnqQ93sC&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=bern+carnival+peasant+revolt&source=bl&ots=YZpGnZQOre&sig=nYH-8Q6mCs1E4SstgWaUqGKJEp0&hl=en&ei=tMbMS-D9HpDitgOQncHEAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=bern%20carnival%20peasant%20revolt&f=false |accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> The Bernese carnivals were held more or less regularly in medieval times, with strong anti-[[Pope|Papa]]l rhetoric occurring between 1523 and 1525. After the [[German Peasants' War|Peasants' War]] religious themes in carnivals were prohibited and did not return until the local reformation of 1528 returned freedom of speech and expression to the Protestants.<ref>Ehrstine, pp. 83, 84</ref>
Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century, and in 1513 the carnival led to a peasant revolt.<ref name=" Violence in early modern Europe, 1500-1800 Page 178">{{cite book |title = Violence in early modern Europe, 1500-1800|author= Julius Ralph Ruff| publisher = Press syndicate University of Cambridge|year = 2001 |isbn=978-0-521-59894-1 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5SAfnqQ93sC&q=bern+carnival+peasant+revolt&pg=PA178 |accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> The Bernese carnivals were held more or less regularly in medieval times, with strong anti-[[Pope|Papa]]l rhetoric occurring between 1523 and 1525. After the [[German Peasants' War|Peasants' War]] religious themes in carnivals were prohibited and did not return until the local reformation of 1528 returned freedom of speech and expression to the Protestants.<ref>Ehrstine, pp. 83, 84</ref>


Authorities also tried to ban carnivals in later centuries. The carnival as it is known today was introduced in 1982, and is unique because it incorporates the city's history by beginning the carnival with the symbolic freeing of the bear.<ref name=" Carnival">{{cite web |title = Carnival| publisher =www.swissworld.org|date = |url = http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture/seasonal_customs/carnival/| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref><ref name="Fastnacht"/> The carnival in Bern in the country's third largest such celebration.<ref name="Fastnacht"/>
Authorities also tried to ban carnivals in later centuries. The carnival as it is known today was introduced in 1982, and is unique because it incorporates the city's history by beginning the carnival with the symbolic freeing of the bear.<ref name=" Carnival">{{cite web |title = Carnival| publisher =www.swissworld.org|date = |url = http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture/seasonal_customs/carnival/| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref><ref name="Fastnacht"/> The carnival in Bern in the country's third largest such celebration.<ref name="Fastnacht"/>


==Carnival beginnings==
==Carnival beginnings==
Carnival was established in Bern during the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] period.<ref name=" Carnival"/> In Bern, the term for carnival is either ''Fasnacht'' or ''Fastnacht'' which means on the eve of fasting. Before the beginning of [[Lent]], or the 40 day fasting period, feasts and folk-festivals were commonly held.<ref name= "Ramseyer">{{cite web |title = Die Fastnacht in Stadt und Kanton Bern:Geschichte und Brauchtum eines uralten Volksfestes |last=Ramseyer|first=Rudolf| format=pdf| date = |language=German| url =http://www.bezg.ch/4_01/ramseyer.pdf|accessdate=2010-04-24}}</ref> During the 15th, century Bern began to grow in importance, and in the 1420s during a carnval the [[cornerstone]] for the new ''Rathaus'' was laid.<ref name="Ramseyer"/> The importance of the city became noticeable as visitors flocked to the city during the carnival celebrations. From the mid- to the end of the 15th century Bern saw visitors to the yearly carnival arrive from surrounding cities and [[Cantons of Switzerland|Cantons]] such as [[Lucerne]] and as far away as from Cantons such as [[Schwyz]].<ref name= "Ramseyer"/>
Carnival was established in Bern during the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] period.<ref name=" Carnival"/> In Bern, the term for carnival is either ''Fasnacht'' or ''Fastnacht'' which means on the eve of fasting. Before the beginning of [[Lent]], or the 40-day fasting period, feasts and folk-festivals were commonly held.<ref name="Ramseyer">{{cite web|title=Die Fastnacht in Stadt und Kanton Bern:Geschichte und Brauchtum eines uralten Volksfestes |last=Ramseyer |first=Rudolf |date= |language=German |url=http://www.bezg.ch/4_01/ramseyer.pdf |accessdate=2010-04-24 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706222318/http://www.bezg.ch/4_01/ramseyer.pdf |archivedate=2011-07-06 }}</ref> During the 15th, century Bern began to grow in importance, and in the 1420s during a carnival the [[cornerstone]] for the new ''Rathaus'' was laid.<ref name="Ramseyer"/> The importance of the city became noticeable as visitors flocked to the city during the carnival celebrations. From the mid- to the end of the 15th century Bern saw visitors to the yearly carnival arrive from surrounding cities and [[Cantons of Switzerland|Cantons]] such as [[Lucerne]] and as far away as from Cantons such as [[Schwyz]].<ref name= "Ramseyer"/>


==Carnival during the Reformation==
==Carnival during the Reformation==
During the 16th century, the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] caused a rift between the Protestant and Catholic citizenry of Bern, and according to scholars the city considered keeping to the [[Catholic Church]] as late as 1526;<ref>Erhstine, p. 89</ref> however, during this period playwrights used the opportunity to present an [[Catholic Church|anti-Catholic]] message during the carnival (or shrovetide) Lenten celebebrations.<ref name=h221/> Some Reformation era carnival plays depicted contrasts between [[Catholic]]s and [[Protestant]]s, while others contrasted [[Jew]]s and gentiles, such as in ''Goliath'' by Hans von Rüte.<ref name=h221>Ehrstine, pp. 221, 222</ref> [[Niklaus Manuel]] was the first writer to present ideas for reform and to belittle the Papacy in his plays.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 102</ref> In 1522 he wrote two farces about the Pope, in which he showed the difference between the Pope and his priests, and [[Jesus]]. Real life events, in particular the [[Battle of Novara (1513)]], created the backdrop for Manuel's writings. He wrote about Cardinal Anselm von Hochmuth (Haughtiness):<ref name=" History of the German people at the close of the middle ages page 39">{{cite book |title = History of the German people at the close of the middle page 39|author= Johannes Janssen| year = 1900 |url = http://books.google.com/books?id=koZDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA47&dq=bernese+carnival&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=3&client=qsb-win&cd=3#v=onepage&q=bern&f=false| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> "Mightily I have enjoyed it,/For Christian blood to me is dear,/And that's why a red hat I wear." In another Manuel play the Pope dismisses the plight of a Knight of Rhodes assisting in the war against the [[Siege of Rhodes (1522)|Turks]], and declares: "No bacon to the turnips for that war, it is better to make a war with [[Christian]]s."<ref name=" History of the German people at the close of the middle ages page 41">{{cite book |title = History of the German people at the close of the middle page 41|author= Johannes Janssen| year = 1900 |url = http://books.google.com/books?id=koZDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA47&dq=bernese+carnival&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=3&client=qsb-win&cd=3#v=onepage&q=bern&f=false| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref>
During the 16th century, the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] caused a rift between the Protestant and Catholic citizenry of Bern, and according to scholars the city considered keeping to the [[Catholic Church]] as late as 1526;<ref>Erhstine, p. 89</ref> however, during this period playwrights used the opportunity to present an [[Catholic Church|anti-Catholic]] message during the carnival (or shrovetide) Lenten celebrations.<ref name=h221/> Some Reformation era carnival plays depicted contrasts between [[Catholic]]s and [[Protestant]]s, while others contrasted [[Jew]]s and gentiles, such as in ''Goliath'' by Hans von Rüte.<ref name=h221>Ehrstine, pp. 221, 222</ref> [[Niklaus Manuel]] was the first writer to present ideas for reform and to belittle the Papacy in his plays.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 102</ref> In 1522 he wrote two farces about the Pope, in which he showed the difference between the Pope and his priests, and [[Jesus]]. Real life events, in particular the [[Battle of Novara (1513)]], created the backdrop for Manuel's writings. He wrote about Cardinal Anselm von Hochmuth (Haughtiness):<ref name=" History of the German people at the close of the middle ages page 39">{{cite book |title = History of the German people at the close of the middle page 39|author= Johannes Janssen| year = 1900 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=koZDAAAAYAAJ&q=bern&pg=PA47| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> "Mightily I have enjoyed it,/For Christian blood to me is dear,/And that's why a red hat I wear." In another Manuel play the Pope dismisses the plight of a Knight of Rhodes assisting in the war against the [[Siege of Rhodes (1522)|Turks]], and declares: "No bacon to the turnips for that war, it is better to make a war with [[Christians]]."<ref name=" History of the German people at the close of the middle ages page 41">{{cite book |title = History of the German people at the close of the middle page 41|author= Johannes Janssen| year = 1900 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=koZDAAAAYAAJ&q=bern&pg=PA47| accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref>


Beginning in the mid-1520s there appear to have been incidents of sporadic violence in Bern during carnival which may have shown the tension of the Reformation period. Records show that the carnival was discontinued during the mid-to-latter half of the decade.<ref name="Ehrstine, p. 118">Ehrstine, p. 118</ref>
Beginning in the mid-1520s there appear to have been incidents of sporadic violence in Bern during carnival which may have shown the tension of the Reformation period. Records show that the carnival was discontinued during the mid-to-latter half of the decade.<ref name="Ehrstine, p. 118">Ehrstine, p. 118</ref>


In the 1530s the carnival continued, but the entertainment had a different emphasis than in the earlier decade. Records show that plays with a serious religious subject were put on as early as the 1530s in Bern, with Hans von Rüte's ''Abgötterie'' (1531) possibly being the first.<ref name="Ehrstine, p. 118"/> Hans von Rüte wrote plays about [[Biblical]] themes for the Bern carnival. In ''Gideon'' (1540) the Jews are depicted as losing to their enemies for seven devastating years because they adopted [[idolatry]] and abandoned God. [[Gideon]] eventually defeats all the enemies of the [[Israelites]], a recurring historical theme, but first he has to destroy the altar of [[Ba'al]]. Although the story, as told in von Rüte's play, was taken from the [[Book of Judges]] and was about Jews, Rüte (as before him Manuel) meant to attack the idolatry of Catholic clerics. Von Rüte's Gideon defeats [[Huldrych Zwingli|Zwinglian]] authority by destroying the Ba'al altar.<ref name=" Theater, culture,and community in Reformation Bern, 1523-1555
In the 1530s the carnival continued, but the entertainment had a different emphasis than in the earlier decade. Records show that plays with a serious religious subject were put on as early as the 1530s in Bern, with Hans von Rüte's ''Abgötterie'' (1531) possibly being the first.<ref name="Ehrstine, p. 118"/> Hans von Rüte wrote plays about [[Biblical]] themes for the Bern carnival. In ''Gideon'' (1540) the Jews are depicted as losing to their enemies for seven devastating years because they adopted [[idolatry]] and abandoned God. [[Gideon]] eventually defeats all the enemies of the [[Israelites]], a recurring historical theme, but first he has to destroy the altar of [[Ba'al]]. Although the story, as told in von Rüte's play, was taken from the [[Book of Judges]] and was about Jews, Rüte (as before him Manuel) meant to attack the idolatry of Catholic clerics. Von Rüte's Gideon defeats [[Huldrych Zwingli|Zwinglian]] authority by destroying the Ba'al altar.<ref name=" Theater, culture, and community in Reformation Bern, 1523-1555
Pages 168">Ehrstine, p. 168</ref> However, in contrast to the plays of the earlier decade, von Rüte's plays show a shift away from "protestant polemics" as he eventually uses the Bernese Bear as an allegorical figure.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 84</ref>
Pages 168">Ehrstine, p. 168</ref> However, in contrast to the plays of the earlier decade, von Rüte's plays show a shift away from "protestant polemics" as he eventually uses the Bernese Bear as an allegorical figure.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 84</ref>


The tradition of Reformation era carnival theater (Fasnachtspiele) came to an end in the mid-1530s and Bernese record show that the genre came to an end by the late 1530s.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 134</ref>
The tradition of Reformation era carnival theater (Fasnachtspiele) came to an end in the mid-1530s and Bernese record show that the genre came to an end by the late 1530s.<ref>Ehrstine, p. 134</ref>


==The carnival today==
==The carnival today==
Having been banned during the 16th century, Bern had no carnival for a long time. Instead, residents traveled to Basel or the Lucerne to enjoy carnival. In the 1970s the idea of bringing carnival back to Bern began to grow, and was first initiated with a children's carnival. In 1982 the era of the modern carnival began.<ref name="Fastnacht">{{cite web |title = Bern Fasnacht| publisher =gh26.ch| date = February 2009 |language=German| url =http://www.g26.ch/berninfo_fasnacht.html|accessdate=2010-04-24}}
Having been banned during the 16th century, Bern had no carnival for a long time. Instead, residents traveled to Basel or the Lucerne to enjoy carnival. In the 1970s the idea of bringing carnival back to Bern began to grow, and was first initiated with a children's carnival. In 1982 the era of the modern carnival began.<ref name="Fastnacht">{{cite web
|title=Bern Fasnacht
|publisher=gh26.ch
|date=February 2009
|language=German
|url=http://www.g26.ch/berninfo_fasnacht.html
|accessdate=2010-04-24
|url-status=dead
⚫
</ref> Now, the Bernese Fasnacht is the third largest carnival in Switzerland although the carnivals in [[Carnival of Basel|Basel]] and [[Lucerne]] have a longer or "more extravagant tradition".<ref name=" Carnival"/><ref name=" Bern Tourism">{{cite web |title = Bern Tourism| publisher =berninfo.com| date = 2008-12-24|url = http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:-p12XS6yDVYJ:www.berninfo.com/files/%3Fid%3D20786+bern+carnival+bears&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgSGyXBcOWpieHmg_3ngaMbw7DBN-fDfjYFp2JJ-qcOhCvU6x9xCdT5ItYcs4yZxtXMary29CiFf25AQQBqqB4RzmX3IbTIKX3Fi93RmnYFqN42mvaGqQlNPgqUIgt-2tS64x2P&sig=AHIEtbT6rLlUp0Rb3CRut53Ri-S2vvGRBQ}}</ref> Carnival in Bern runs for three days in February.<ref name=" Bern Tourism"/>
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222191852/http://g26.ch/berninfo_fasnacht.html
|archivedate=2010-12-22
}}
⚫
</ref> Now, the Bernese Fasnacht is the third largest carnival in Switzerland although the carnivals in [[Carnival of Basel|Basel]] and [[Lucerne]] have a longer or "more extravagant tradition".<ref name=" Carnival"/><ref name=" Bern Tourism">{{cite web |title = Bern Tourism| publisher =berninfo.com| date = 2008-12-24|url = https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:-p12XS6yDVYJ:www.berninfo.com/files/%3Fid%3D20786+bern+carnival+bears&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgSGyXBcOWpieHmg_3ngaMbw7DBN-fDfjYFp2JJ-qcOhCvU6x9xCdT5ItYcs4yZxtXMary29CiFf25AQQBqqB4RzmX3IbTIKX3Fi93RmnYFqN42mvaGqQlNPgqUIgt-2tS64x2P&sig=AHIEtbT6rLlUp0Rb3CRut53Ri-S2vvGRBQ}}</ref> Carnival in Bern runs for three days in February.<ref name=" Bern Tourism"/>


==Freeing the bear==
==Freeing the bear==
[[File:The "bear" at Berner Fasnacht 2015.jpg|thumb|The "bear" at Berner Fasnacht 2015]]
According to a popular story, in 1917 [[Lenin]], prior to [[Russian Revolution (1917)|the Revolution]], passed by the [[Bärengraben|bears]] in Bern, fed them carrots, and said: "The bears must be released." The carnival begins with a symbolic liberation of the bear (the participants, who are dressed as bears, wait to be liberated in the old town).<ref name="bears Berne">{{cite web |title= bears Berne| publisher =/www.hebdo.ch| date = 2008-12-24|url = http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.hebdo.ch/suite_royale_avec_spa_pour_les_ours_de_27930_.html&ei=YTzLS7G0IZHwsgO4lYyXAg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA0Q7gEwAjgK&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Carnaval%2Bde%2BBerne%2B%2522%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DCuD%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26channel%3D|accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> Of course, the bear must first be captured. The capture takes place at 11:11 on November 11 (11/11) of the previous year. The bear spends exactly 111 days in Prison Tower for its winter sleep, before being awakened by "Ychüblete" (drumming) and released.<ref name=" Bern Tourism"/> In the 1980s, the original organizers of the modern carnival decided to use local history and to incorporate the famous bears of Bern into the modern carnival: thus they conceived of the idea of freeing the bears, thereby adding a modern idea based on the traditions of the city.<ref name="Fastnacht"/>
According to a popular story, in 1917 [[Lenin]], prior to [[Russian Revolution (1917)|the Revolution]], passed by the [[Bärengraben|bears]] in Bern, fed them carrots, and said: "The bears must be released." The carnival begins with a symbolic liberation of the bear (the participants, who are dressed as bears, wait to be liberated in the old town).<ref name="bears Berne">{{cite web |title= bears Berne| publisher =/www.hebdo.ch| date = 2008-12-24|url = https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.hebdo.ch/suite_royale_avec_spa_pour_les_ours_de_27930_.html&ei=YTzLS7G0IZHwsgO4lYyXAg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA0Q7gEwAjgK&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Carnaval%2Bde%2BBerne%2B%2522%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DCuD%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26channel%3D|accessdate = 2010-04-19}}</ref> Of course, the bear must first be captured. The capture takes place at 11:11 on November 11 (11/11) of the previous year. The bear spends exactly 111 days in Prison Tower for its winter sleep, before being awakened by "Ychüblete" (drumming) and released.<ref name=" Bern Tourism"/> In the 1980s, the original organizers of the modern carnival decided to use local history and to incorporate the famous bears of Bern into the modern carnival: thus they conceived of the idea of freeing the bears, thereby adding a modern idea based on the traditions of the city.<ref name="Fastnacht"/>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 38: Line 49:
File:Berner Fasnacht 2010 063.jpg|Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
File:Berner Fasnacht 2010 063.jpg|Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
</gallery>
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Carnival of Basel]]


==References==
==References==
Line 47: Line 61:


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |title = Theater, culture, and community in Reformation Bern|author= Glenn Ehrstine|year = 2002|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=r-j3SgmP5NcC&pg=RA1-PA90&lpg=RA1-PA90&dq=%22bernese+carnival%22&source=bl&ots=kRWSkq_-g5&sig=dUPVai09mHadY7tSAJwE5iBD5m8&hl=en&ei=FrLMS9n4B5KcswO-kvirAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=carnival&f=false/| ISBN = 978-90-04-12353-3}}
*{{cite book |title = Theater, culture, and community in Reformation Bern|author= Glenn Ehrstine|year = 2002|publisher= BRILL|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=r-j3SgmP5NcC&q=carnival%2F&pg=RA1-PA90| isbn = 978-90-04-12353-3}}


[[Category:Culture in Bern]]
[[Category:Culture in Bern]]
[[Category:Carnivals]]
[[Category:Carnivals in Switzerland]]

[[de:Berner Fasnacht]]
[[ru:Бернский карнавал]]

Latest revision as of 00:44, 31 October 2024

Participants in the 2010 carnival

The carnival in Bern, Switzerland (German: Berner Fasnacht) is an annual pre-Lenten festival in the Swabian-Alemannic tradition.

Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century, and in 1513 the carnival led to a peasant revolt.[1] The Bernese carnivals were held more or less regularly in medieval times, with strong anti-Papal rhetoric occurring between 1523 and 1525. After the Peasants' War religious themes in carnivals were prohibited and did not return until the local reformation of 1528 returned freedom of speech and expression to the Protestants.[2]

Authorities also tried to ban carnivals in later centuries. The carnival as it is known today was introduced in 1982, and is unique because it incorporates the city's history by beginning the carnival with the symbolic freeing of the bear.[3][4] The carnival in Bern in the country's third largest such celebration.[4]

Carnival beginnings

[edit]

Carnival was established in Bern during the medieval period.[3] In Bern, the term for carnival is either Fasnacht or Fastnacht which means on the eve of fasting. Before the beginning of Lent, or the 40-day fasting period, feasts and folk-festivals were commonly held.[5] During the 15th, century Bern began to grow in importance, and in the 1420s during a carnival the cornerstone for the new Rathaus was laid.[5] The importance of the city became noticeable as visitors flocked to the city during the carnival celebrations. From the mid- to the end of the 15th century Bern saw visitors to the yearly carnival arrive from surrounding cities and Cantons such as Lucerne and as far away as from Cantons such as Schwyz.[5]

Carnival during the Reformation

[edit]

During the 16th century, the Reformation caused a rift between the Protestant and Catholic citizenry of Bern, and according to scholars the city considered keeping to the Catholic Church as late as 1526;[6] however, during this period playwrights used the opportunity to present an anti-Catholic message during the carnival (or shrovetide) Lenten celebrations.[7] Some Reformation era carnival plays depicted contrasts between Catholics and Protestants, while others contrasted Jews and gentiles, such as in Goliath by Hans von Rüte.[7] Niklaus Manuel was the first writer to present ideas for reform and to belittle the Papacy in his plays.[8] In 1522 he wrote two farces about the Pope, in which he showed the difference between the Pope and his priests, and Jesus. Real life events, in particular the Battle of Novara (1513), created the backdrop for Manuel's writings. He wrote about Cardinal Anselm von Hochmuth (Haughtiness):[9] "Mightily I have enjoyed it,/For Christian blood to me is dear,/And that's why a red hat I wear." In another Manuel play the Pope dismisses the plight of a Knight of Rhodes assisting in the war against the Turks, and declares: "No bacon to the turnips for that war, it is better to make a war with Christians."[10]

Beginning in the mid-1520s there appear to have been incidents of sporadic violence in Bern during carnival which may have shown the tension of the Reformation period. Records show that the carnival was discontinued during the mid-to-latter half of the decade.[11]

In the 1530s the carnival continued, but the entertainment had a different emphasis than in the earlier decade. Records show that plays with a serious religious subject were put on as early as the 1530s in Bern, with Hans von Rüte's Abgötterie (1531) possibly being the first.[11] Hans von Rüte wrote plays about Biblical themes for the Bern carnival. In Gideon (1540) the Jews are depicted as losing to their enemies for seven devastating years because they adopted idolatry and abandoned God. Gideon eventually defeats all the enemies of the Israelites, a recurring historical theme, but first he has to destroy the altar of Ba'al. Although the story, as told in von Rüte's play, was taken from the Book of Judges and was about Jews, Rüte (as before him Manuel) meant to attack the idolatry of Catholic clerics. Von Rüte's Gideon defeats Zwinglian authority by destroying the Ba'al altar.[12] However, in contrast to the plays of the earlier decade, von Rüte's plays show a shift away from "protestant polemics" as he eventually uses the Bernese Bear as an allegorical figure.[13]

The tradition of Reformation era carnival theater (Fasnachtspiele) came to an end in the mid-1530s and Bernese record show that the genre came to an end by the late 1530s.[14]

The carnival today

[edit]

Having been banned during the 16th century, Bern had no carnival for a long time. Instead, residents traveled to Basel or the Lucerne to enjoy carnival. In the 1970s the idea of bringing carnival back to Bern began to grow, and was first initiated with a children's carnival. In 1982 the era of the modern carnival began.[4] Now, the Bernese Fasnacht is the third largest carnival in Switzerland although the carnivals in Basel and Lucerne have a longer or "more extravagant tradition".[3][15] Carnival in Bern runs for three days in February.[15]

Freeing the bear

[edit]
The "bear" at Berner Fasnacht 2015

According to a popular story, in 1917 Lenin, prior to the Revolution, passed by the bears in Bern, fed them carrots, and said: "The bears must be released." The carnival begins with a symbolic liberation of the bear (the participants, who are dressed as bears, wait to be liberated in the old town).[16] Of course, the bear must first be captured. The capture takes place at 11:11 on November 11 (11/11) of the previous year. The bear spends exactly 111 days in Prison Tower for its winter sleep, before being awakened by "Ychüblete" (drumming) and released.[15] In the 1980s, the original organizers of the modern carnival decided to use local history and to incorporate the famous bears of Bern into the modern carnival: thus they conceived of the idea of freeing the bears, thereby adding a modern idea based on the traditions of the city.[4]

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  • Participant in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participant in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participant in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participant in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
  • Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010
    Participants in the Bernese Carnival 2010

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Julius Ralph Ruff (2001). Violence in early modern Europe, 1500-1800. Press syndicate University of Cambridge. ISBN 978-0-521-59894-1. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  2. ^ Ehrstine, pp. 83, 84
  3. ^ a b c "Carnival". www.swissworld.org. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  4. ^ a b c d "Bern Fasnacht" (in German). gh26.ch. February 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  5. ^ a b c Ramseyer, Rudolf. "Die Fastnacht in Stadt und Kanton Bern:Geschichte und Brauchtum eines uralten Volksfestes" (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  6. ^ Erhstine, p. 89
  7. ^ a b Ehrstine, pp. 221, 222
  8. ^ Ehrstine, p. 102
  9. ^ Johannes Janssen (1900). History of the German people at the close of the middle page 39. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  10. ^ Johannes Janssen (1900). History of the German people at the close of the middle page 41. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  11. ^ a b Ehrstine, p. 118
  12. ^ Ehrstine, p. 168
  13. ^ Ehrstine, p. 84
  14. ^ Ehrstine, p. 134
  15. ^ a b c "Bern Tourism". berninfo.com. 2008-12-24.
  16. ^ "bears Berne". /www.hebdo.ch. 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Berner Fasnacht.

Bibliography

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