A looming storm over the north and west of Germany has led to the partial cancellation of Rose Monday celebrations in a number of German cities. Events in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz and other towns throughout the region have been cancelled or scaled down due to storm fears.
Rosenmontag traditionally represents the highlight of the carnival season, with schools closed and parades planned in several cities across Germany. The day also features the Rosenmontagszügen (Rose Monday Trains), a parade of intricately designed floats with a focus on political satire.
On Monday morning festival organizers in Bottrop near Essen cancelled the parade, while certain larger floats were banned from the celebrations in Cologne.
Düsseldorf postponed their parade by two hours pending a ‘wind check’ before it begins. North Rhine-Westphalia authorities said the event will not go ahead should wind be measured at ‘Wind Force 8’, which is the official storm limit set by the German Weather Service (DWD).
In Koblenz the parade was also delayed by two hours while the distance was shortened by a kilometre. Delays were also forecast in Ratingen, Aachen and Münster.
Bottrop mayor Bernd Tischler said while he was disappointed to have cancelled the event, safety was the city council’s top priority.
“Of course it is difficult to digest for the many committed people who put their heart and soul into the anniversary presentation and for the Rose Monday procession,” Tischler told DPA.
Storms caused havoc across the region on Sunday night, damaging construction sites and causing road closures across North Rhine-Westphalia. A number of cars and trucks were damaged when a tree fell onto an Autobahn in Kerpen at around 5am on Monday morning, although there we no injuries.
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While Rosenmontag is known as ‘Rose Monday’ in English, the original name comes from the German dialectic word ‘roose’, which means to frolic or romp.
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