Page 359 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

INTRODUCING THE SOUTHERN NE THERLANDS  357

Carnival Floats
At carnival time, long processions with extravagantly
decorated floats wind their way through the main
streets of towns and villages. Months of preparation
often go into creating the floats, and secrecy prevails
during their preparation. The decoration of the
float is usually on an upbeat and amusing theme,
but current events are sometimes illustrated in
imaginative ways. When leading
politicians are featured, they
are more often than
not caricatured
mercilessly, and
Refreshments both indoors and outdoors at social ills are
carnival time exposed, often
using costumed
participants in
tableaux vivants.

A festive float

The Raad van Elf (Council
of Eleven) is the central
office of the local carnival
organization. Every year, the
council appoints a Prince of
the Carnival, who holds
power in a municipality on
the days of the carnival.
The council’s ritual number
is 11, which is considered
the number of fools. From
Characteristic 11 November onwards,
Prince carnival cap with the Raad van Elf is busy
Carnival’s feather preparing carnival events.
adjutant At the lively meetings,
many a beer is drunk to a
Prince call of “Alaaf!” (“Eleven!”).
Carnival
Silly clothes are
mandatory at carnival
time. In earlier times it
was customary to put on
masks, whereas today the
trend is to dress up in as
unusual a way as possible.
The northerners’ belief
that it is enough to put
on a peasant’s smock to
Colourful fool be properly dressed is a
misconception.

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