This weekend I wish that I could be back in Aalborg, Denmark because its Carnival weekend! Actually, the festivities have already begun; its five days of celebration that culminates in the Grand Parade and Park Party on Saturday.
While most people are familiar with Brazilian Carnival, few are aware that Aalborg’s Carnival is the largest in Northern Europe and sees the city’s population swell by over 100,000 people.
Carnival at its core is a celebration of life, vitality, community and letting go of inhibitions. Four years ago I was smack-dab in the middle of the debauchery. I’d like to say that I did my best to get a sense of the cultural implications of the event, but hey, I was 21 and all I wanted to do was be a part of the crazy. And in hindsight, that’s kind of the whole point of the thing – to be a part of IT!
Everyone woke up early on Saturday (early as in 7am which was unheard of for most students) and converged on the Student House for an Erasmus breakfast of toast, jam, cookies and shots of Akvavit.
After breakfast we headed to Kristin’s flat and got dressed for the Grand Parade. Our costumes were pretty random, but at least we made an effort on a shoe-string budget.
Once decked out and a few more beers deep, we proceeded to the fjord for the beginning of the parade. We arrived just in time to see the Carnival Princess disembark a ship on the fjord and officially begin the festivities.
It was only 9am and nearly everyone had a beer in hand. We knew then that this would be a looong day. The parade was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. There were some fantastic costumes and everyone was in a joyous mood, mingling and having a blast.
I found this to be a striking juxtaposition to the normal attitude and demeanor of the city. True, Danes love to drink and socialize, but never before had I encountered this level of openness, acceptance and inclusion in the community.
In addition to the general population the parade also featured floats, professional dancers, live music and scores of entertained spectators.
The whole thing was outrageous and uncontrolled. Sure, there were Politi and security during the day’s events, but they really just stood back and watched the insanity.
By day’s end, city was completely disheveled. (Amazingly it was spotless the next morning.) If you arrived a day late, you would have no idea that Carnival happened at all.
The Grand Parade culminated in a Party at Kindleparken – a huge park in the heart of the city. Security tried to keep people from bringing alcohol into the park (in order to force you purchase beverages inside) and the volume they successfully confiscated was astounding.
Inside the park was pure insanity. The hours of sun, drinking and parading around town were clearly catching up with the crowd; thousands of belligerent people rocking out to a battle of the bands, dancing up a storm and letting lose. Such fun. Its something that I think everyone should experience at least once just to understand the sheer joy of communal catharsis.
crazy public urinals
Following a few hours at Kindleparken we wandered to a friend’s flat and took a nap. It was 3pm and we were exhausted. But the day wasn’t over yet. All we needed was a power nap, some food, a change of clothes and then we were off to the bars. Yes, after a full day of craziness its customary to close down the bars on Jomfru too.
After my seemingly endless hangover subsided, I felt much more like a part of the community. And although in the days that followed all the Danes went back to their reserved selves, I felt fortunate to have seen them at their unbridled best – to see a side that they don’t often show in public.
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What a fun (but a bit messy) festival!