A German town 'turns' Chinese - for a few days
Dietfurt in Bavaria has been celebrating Carnival, the pre-Lent festival a bit differently than most German towns. In the small town residents have been dressing up like Chinese people and they even have an Emperor.
A Bavarian town with a different take on Carnival
With cries of "Kille Wau" which is similar to Kölle Alaaf! Carnival in the Bavarian town of Dietfurt begins. The traditional costume in Bavaria is usually lederhosen or a dirndl, but here, during Carnival, Chinese costumes are mandatory. What was once a legend has taken on a bigger role in the life of this German town.
The traditional parade - headed by an emperor
On a day known as "Silly Thursday", the inhabitants of the small town of Dietfurt in Bavaria start the pre-Lent Carnival festival with a parade with over a 1,000 people. Almost everyone in town dresses up in Chinese clothes and there is even an Emperor chosen from one of the townspeople. The real mayor of Dietfurt is relegated to the position of "Imperial Mandarin" for the week.
Not quite the traditional Bavarian costume for this Carnival celebration
Legend has it, that in the 19th century, the Bishop of Eichstatt sent his treasurer to Dietfurt to collect taxes. The residents locked the city gates and refused to let him enter the town. Frustrated he went home told the bishop that the Dietfurters had barricaded themselves in their city "like the Chinese behind their wall."
A tradition going back more than 90 years
Dietfurt is a partner city with Nanjing, China. It is not an official "sister city" as Dietfurt only has 6000 inhabitants whereas Nanking has a population of 9 million. A tourist official did say however that both cities had a wall. And that the wall in Dietfurt was not meant to keep people out anymore, but to keep them in for Carnival.
A Bavarian town with a Chinese connection
Dietfurt has developed quite a relationship with China over the years. Chinese tourists brought news of the festival back to China and in 1982 Chinese radio and television made a documentary about some peculiar Germans who dressed up in Chinese costumes. Ever since then, there is a Bavarian-Chinese Culture Exchange Festival during summer with lectures, readings and cooking classes.
Painting of faces is a tradition in town but is yellow face paint racist?
When the tourist office spokeswoman in Dietfurt was asked whether local citizens dressing up in Chinese costumes and painting their faces yellow was considered racist by Chinese visitors, she said that it was not in any way meant to be harmful. She said that many Chinese visitors found the painting of faces amusing but not insulting. She said people in Dietfuhrt identify with Chinese culture.