Germany's Carnival celebrations in pictures

It's a gray and rainy day: typical November weather in Germany. But the atmosphere in Cologne is colorful and cheerful. Every year, the carnival season opens in the old town at exactly 11:11 a.m. on November 11. It's an important event for people in the city — and great fun for tourists too.

This dance group also added color to an overcast day. Cologne is not far from the neighboring country, so Belgians can easily reach the city by train. To face rainy weather during the opening festivities, an essential item for carnival-goers is the transparent rain poncho, through which colorful costumes remain visible.

Carnival is part of the DNA of the people of Cologne. Even older "fools" — or in German, "Narren," as carnival enthusiasts are known — can't resist throwing themselves into the hustle and bustle. They can give the young fools some good advice; after all, they've been involved in the party for decades. Despite the event's reputation for heavy drinking, it's all about having fun responsibly.

Carnival has a long tradition in Germany. This picture is from 1884. You can see the Carnival Prince (center) and his entourage. Even today, the Prince is at the center of the festivities.

Every year the Prince, Farmer and Maiden rule over the fools, and they are all traditionally portrayed by men. They are chosen by the carnival committee and have many engagements to attend throughout the Fifth Season, as the months of celebrations are known in Germany. Here is an appearance by Cologne's 2023 triumvirate.

This year, three members of the gay carnival club StattGarde Colonia form the trio, making them the first openly homosexual triumvirate. Their appointment was announced in August. More and more people are calling for women to be included in the trio, too — but that's not about to happen yet.

Düsseldorf is another carnival stronghold in Germany. In this Rhineland city, a figure known as the "Hoppeditz" awakes to open the celebrations with a sarcastic speech commenting on local, national and international events. He also reads the riot act to the city leaders. His term of office ends, like that of the triumvirate, at the end of winter, on Ash Wednesday.

Despite the dreary weather, the fools also gathered in Mainz. As every year, the Carnival constitution was read out at 11:11 a.m. on Schillerplatz in the Rhineland-Palatinate city. And then the party started.

Many people have taken the day off today to celebrate. It's definitely not an event for anyone who has a fear of crowds. Some places are so full that they're cordoned off. It's an intense day for the police and security services. But when everything goes well, the atmosphere remains relaxed — like here on Cologne's Neumarkt.

November 11 marks an entire day of partying. After the street festivities, people are invited to follow the various carnival societies, such as the Prince's Guard in this photo, to keep celebrating in party halls. People dance, sing and laugh. Satirical speeches are given and usually quite large quantities of alcohol are consumed.