Samba Carnival in Bremen

Samba Carnival in Bremen may seem to be an odd idea and the temperatures we have here in February make it an even less likely event. But the people of Bremen do whatever they want to do and brave any weather. I'm not that brave but this year the temperature was quite mild and since there even were some rays of sun in the morning on February 22, I went to see the carnival and took my camera.

By the time I got to the city centre the sun had disappeared and it was overcast from here on. At noon the carnival parade was due to start "Am Markt" and I could see from a distance that there was a stage of some sort and a red cat was raised in the air telling a story of abandonment. I could not quite follow the whole monologue but later I saw a school of paper cranes flying towards a gentleman who appeared above the crowd's heads and was talking to the cat. I guess the story continued with the cat going out into the world to find a new "home" which was the motto of this year's parade: "HEIMAT". In English there is no exact translation for this word but it means, home where you are born and where you are spiritually rooted.

The parade commenced - after what seemed like an hour to me - and I settled in a good position to take pictures with the "Rathaus" (town hall) or the "Dom" (cathedral) as a backdrop depending on which way I turned. The clouds are quite helpful when photographing because there are no harsh shadows. Although, I must say, the sun does add to a lot of atmosphere to carnival photos from around the world. In Bremen this has to be replaced by the radiance in the smiles of the part-taking people, who's costumes related to our lifestyle here in the North of Germany. There were participants from all over the North of Germany, even as far as Berlin, who brought their drums and many other percussion instruments some being quite original.

During the parade it was pointed out that the carnival needs funding and we should donate money. Some of the costumes portrayed the "Osterwiese" (spring fair) or the more famous of the two fairs "Freimarkt" (autumn fair) - a Bremen institution. One costume looked like a raffle ticket stall with soft toys that you could buy as a gift for a child spectator. What I love most about the carnival is the children who are always mesmerised by the wonderful costumes and music. A large group of the costumed participants, who all wear masks and interact with the crowd - and sometimes make you stop and think - are actors of Blaumeier-Atelier.

My friend and colleague also took pictures, some of which you can see here. My photos are not all of the best quality but I tried to include at least one photo of each group. I do hope you enjoy them, nevertheless, and perhaps I'll be able to "shoot" you next year!