Zell am Harmersbach: Fairy Tales 2018

Bändelenarros

I have already described Zell and its jester guild in a previous entry. Hence I won't explain it all again, but show you my newest photos.

This year, 2018, I finally made it back to Zell for the Tuesday parade.

Originally I had intended to go on Sunday. The weather forecasts suggested a change of plans, though, as they predicted pouring rain all day long for Sunday and sunshine for Tuesday. This turned out to be the right decision, as my pictures prove.

After the long and dull, greyish winter that we had this year, I thoroughly enjoyed the sunlight and the bright colours.

Schneckehüslinarro and Welschkornnarro

This year's motto was: "Figures from the Fairytale Forest".

The groups from the different parts of the town came up with very varied interpretations of the motto.

And we had our two usual crazy commentators again. This time Manfred was Märchentante, Auntie telling fairy tales. No idea who he borrowed the fur coat and the hat from - his mother-in-law I'd guess?

The elf bicycle

Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves

Alice in Wonderland: Mad Hatters, Cheshire Cats, and the Queen of Hearts
To me they are the "winners" with their beautifully designed outfits that show so much love and care for details.

Trolls, or rather Drollige Drolle as they called themselves, performed a funny dance

The quarter nicknamed "Little Paris" impersonated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
They had much more than seven dwarfs, of course - and a dozen Snow Whites, and two Bad Queens.

A different interpretation of the motto. This group referred to the Soccer World Cup of 2006, which is often called Germany's Sommermärchen (Summer Fairy Tale). They played with the similarity of the words "Elf" (eleven) and "Elfen" (elves) and became a football team of elves.
The football kicker on their cart was the big hit with some young Bändele. They were totally absorbed in their game in the middle of the moving parade.

Pumuckl is a popular character from a German TV series for children, a naughty red-haired imp who lives at the workshop of his human friend Meister Eder the carpenter, and causes a lot of funny mayhem. They also invented a female Pumuckeline for the ladies in their group.

The Disney movie Frozen inspired this group. Including a snowflake machine on their cart.

The witch guild from neighbouring Unterharmersbach are regular participants in Zell's parades.

The same goes with the local Guggemusik band Eckwaldpuper. After the parade they gave a little concert on the stage in front of the town hall.

Bändele are dancing to the music, while the children enjoy their treats. The jester guild hands out free Weck und Worscht (roll and hotdog) to all kids.

For the rest of the day the Städtlefasend is in full swing: a street party with stalls selling food and drink, and all pubs and restaurants full to the brim, until the Fasend is buried at midnight.