Today in Lancaster County and many parts of south central PA, we celebrate the eve of Ash Wednesday with Fasnacht Day by eating donuts - a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of using up the lard before Lent.
Cities along the Rhine River call it Karneval. Austria, Bavaria, and Berlin call it Fasching, And the German-Swiss celebrate Fastnacht.
Carnival or Fasching celebrations are held worldwide with one of biggest held in Cologne, Germany or Köln. It's a celebration of food and fun before the solemnity of Lent. Many wear masks to drive out winter and it's evil spirits.
I've never been to New Orleans but have celebrated Fasching in Germany in Mainz (near Frankfurt am Main), Zurich, Switzerland and in Munich. There are parades and parties and just fun. In 1979 I remember a parade in Zurich where one of the paraders wore a Jimmy Carter costume with a big wide fake smile.
Here's a photo of my daughter and I celebrating Fasching in Munich February 2018 at a ball in the German Theater Munich (Deutsches Theater), a beautiful building dating back to 1896 :
However you celebrate this day - do it well, enjoy and pray for Ukraine.
