carnival
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carnival
A festival celebrated in the weeks before Lent, especially in Catholic regions. It is characterized by parades, costumes, music, and exuberant celebrations and is also called Fasching or Fastnacht.
In Köln wird der Karneval jedes Jahr groß gefeiert.
In Cologne, carnival is celebrated in a big way every year.
There are different names for this festival in Germany. 'Karneval' (carnival) is used especially in the Rhineland (e.g., in Cologne). In southern Germany and Austria, 'Fasching' is more common, while in southwestern Germany and Switzerland people often celebrate 'Fastnacht'.
Wir fahren dieses Jahr für den Karneval nach Düsseldorf.
We’re going to Düsseldorf for carnival this year.
By far the most common verb used in connection with this festival is 'feiern' (to celebrate). You can say 'Karneval feiern' (to celebrate carnival) or say that you do something specific 'im Karneval' (during carnival).
Feierst du dieses Jahr auch Karneval?
Are you celebrating carnival this year too?
In its figurative meaning, 'Karneval' (carnival) describes a chaotic or absurd situation. It is often used with 'ein reiner Karneval' (a pure carnival) or in the expression 'ein Karneval der...' (a carnival of...) to characterize the chaos.
Die Diskussion im Team war ein reiner Karneval, niemand hat zugehört.
The team discussion was a pure carnival; nobody listened.
session
'der Karneval' and 'die Session' can both refer to the carnival season. 'Karneval' is the more general and easier-to-understand word for the festival with costumes, parades, and celebrations. 'Session' is used mainly in carnival regions, especially in the Rhineland, for the whole period from the beginning of the carnival season until Ash Wednesday. The words can be confused because they occur in the same context. Outside this carnival context, however, 'Session' often means something else, for example a work session or a music session. For learners, the important point is: the festival itself is usually called 'Karneval', while the special carnival season is also regionally called 'Session'.
Zum Karneval verkleiden sich viele Kinder als Tiere oder Piraten.
For carnival, many children dress up as animals or pirates.
In Köln beginnt die Session jedes Jahr am 11. November.
In Cologne, the carnival season begins every year on November 11.