02 | March | 2014 | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

A song comes on the radio and instantly, you’re transported to a different time and place. Which song(s) bring back memories for you and why? Be sure to mention the song, and describe the memory it evokes.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us PAST.

Solothurn Carnival 2007

We have carnival in the area where I live in Switzerland. It is basically a catholic thing and Switzerland being divided between Catholic and Swiss Reform Church, it is only really celebrated in the catholic areas and Solothurn is a catholic Kanton/state.

This means that you arise on the Thursday morning when it starts at around 4.00 a.m. You dress in a white long nightshirt, tie a red scarf around your neck and wear a white pointed night cap with a tassel. The next part of the operation is to take anything that makes noise. It can be a horn, a metal can with something to bang on it etc. etc. You get the idea. Then these nightdress clad people meet, march around the town and make noise I think the idea is to frighten the bad spirits away, although it is morning a wakey wakey sort of thing. After the exhaustion of this maternal carnival ritual, the local restaurants are visited for a plate of flour soup (it is tradition) and a cheese cake. The spirits may again be revisited, but in liquid form. This is just the beginning.

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The following Sunday afternoon is the carnival parade. Of course we do not call it carnival. It is a Swiss thing and known as Fassnacht. The first photo was take a couple of years ago of some of the dressed up characters in the procession. The costumes are really something to see, very colourful. There is also music played by costumed marching bands. The whole thing finishes on the following Ash Wednesday when a giant dummy is burnt on the market square, during which the town band marches around the burning giant playing a sad tune. The figure is stuffed with fireworks, just to end the carnival with a few more bangs.

Ok, you got it. I do not like this carnival thing and am glad to stay at home in my little sleepy village leaving my safe and quiet home for a shopping trip now and again when they let me out. At the time of shopping most of the carnival happy-go-lucky people are sleeping away the nocturnal enjoyments.

For many members of this carnival thing, the day turns to night and the night to day, so how does normal life progress? It does not progress. For those partaking it means they sacrifice a week’s holiday from work to avoid falling asleep at their desk. There are a few brave souls that try to carry on a normal working life, but it does not work so well. They often fall asleep at their workplace. I remember the days when the kids were kids and of course no self-respecting mum would not accompany their little children to see the fun and I was a victim. I would stand in the freezing cold watching the procession pass by: the children running around shooting their toy pistols, throwing confetti and having a few flash bangs thrown at you. I was so glad when these days were gone and my kids, no longer being kids, would go on their own.

Sorry, but I do not think I will plaster my daily prompt with YouTube video memories, it is just too boring. Of course there is music from days gone by, tunes that bring back memories, but I just do not want to launch into a discourse of where and why and who. I like blogging, but there are things that do not belong on a public blog.

It seems to me that my blogging life on the daily prompt is slowly becoming one big repetition. I am posting photos from earlier, talking about my life in the days when I was young and lovely and moving without creaks and twinges in the joints. At least when I enter the happy blogging grounds there will be Something There to Remind You of the blogger that almost won the Pulitzer/Nobel Prize in 52 Shades of memories.

Daily Prompt: Always Something There To Remind Me

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