November 11: Carnival strikes

These revellers celebrated the beginning of the so-called "fifth" season in front of the famed Cologne Cathedral. Cologne is arguably the center of Germany's carnival festivities, which lead up to a high point just before Lent in February.

As of 11:11 a.m. on November 11, Düsseldorf's local fool "Hoppeditz" was back among the living. To mark the beginning of the carnival season, the joker emerged from a giant mustard pot on Düsseldorf's marketplace facing city hall and delivered his tradionally witty and biting "opening speech" hailing the new carnival session.

There's no limit to the creativity when it comes to make-up and costumes, with the revellers each displaying their own prefences. Being cheerful and boisterous is the order of the day.

Come carnival season, Braunschweig's head mayor Ulrich Markurth (SPD, r.), is said to be no longer in charge. On November 11, 2014, he symbolically handed over a giant-sized key to city hall to Jürgen Buchheister, president of the Mascherode Carnival Society.

… is the order of the day for these female dancers in matching costumes, dancing here in front of Cottbus city hall. During the carnival season, they put in appearances almost every week at numerous carnival events. By the way, Cottbus, a town in the federal state of Brandenburg, is considered to be the stronghold for carnival in eastern Germany.

The president of the Mainz Carnival Club (MCV), Richard Wagner, had to wait until 11:11 a.m. before installing himself at the "Fastnachtsbrunnen" (carnival fountain) and reading out the "foolery constitution." To abundant cheering, the "Fastnacht" season, as it is called the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, kicked off.

The Purple Fairies from the Netherlands have been visiting Cologne for ten years to celebrate carnival. This time, they joined the "Minions" from the German city of Karlsruhe, who are making their Rhineland carnival debut.

Neither grey skies nor raindrops will keep true carnival fools from partying. In defiance of poor weather, they celebrated the start of the season at the "Alter Markt" (Old Market) in Cologne's city center.

These two "devils" want their costumes to last the entire carnival season - so they chose to protect them with rain capes. Whether hand-sewn or purchased, most revellers try to make sure their disguises remain intact until mid-February. On the 18th of the month, the carnival session that just kicked off will be history once again.