Fastnacht Activities (2/20-21/1983)

Sunday, February 20, 1983

Ruth D had decided at the last minute to take us to the Basler Morgestraich, and then we heard from the Chinese guys that they would take us! Ach! I had to explain I had found another way, and actually Jong-Soon didn’t want to go anymore. We felt really bad.

At 15:15, Barbara S picked up Marsha C and me to go to Ruth D’s apartment. Ruth made up Marsha’s face with a dark foundation, gold and white marking across her cheeks, and stars across her forehead, as she transformed into Helen of Troy. She put on a head band and her hair was frizzed up.

Ruth works on the hair of Helen of Troy

Marsha as Helen of Troy

At 16:00, Barb left to pick up the costumes she and Ruth had rented. Ruth made up my face with rouged cheeks, black eyeliner, glitter on my eyelids, and two little teardrop “diamond” above each cheekbone to turn me into a gypsy.

Teardrop "diamonds"

Tamiko as a gypsy

Ruth made up herself, but not as boldly. She had glitter eyeshadow and a black dot on her forehead, as she was to be a harem girl.

Ruth as a harem girl

When Barb returned, she was given a mustache, as she was to be a male gypsy.

Barb as a gypsy

Ruth made dinner and we ate at 18:00 when Ruth’s friend Urs arrived. We started with little chocolate cups filled with chocolate and covered with crushed nuts with a felt violet stuck in. We had a pasta with a cream sauce with ham and mushrooms, and cucumber slices with yogurt dressing. For dessert, Barb made brownies. Barb only had a cup of yogurt.

Urs was made up similarly to Marsha and then he left. We put on our respective costumes, and at 19:30 we drove in Barb’s car to the Kongresshaus/Convention Center in Biel. We showed our 12.50 CHF/$6/25 tickets and had our right hands stamped with a black light mark. We hung up our coats and looked of our seats at rows of tables at either side of the lobby. Ours were in the far corner. In the middle, a rock band was playing.

Kongresshall Fastnachtfest

Ruth, Urs, Barb, Marsha, Urs' girlfriend

We ordered drinks (I had bitter lemon) and later Urs arrived with his girlfriend. At the table next to us was a nurse’s aide from the hospital, and later we saw a kitchen aide. At intervals a Güggeli/clique bands came through and people stood up, or stood on the chairs to clap and stomp. Then people started dancing to the rock band music. We all got up to dance as a group. Every time a Güggeli came in, we returned to our seats. Sometimes two bands would alternate songs as they stood on the two sets of stairs. We walked up to a mid-level to listen to another Güggeli and I walked right past another mother of a kid I work with. She didn’t recognize me with my mask! Back at the table during a sway song, I ended up next to a sort of cute Italian guy. The next thing I know is that his knee is touching mine; it had to stray pretty far, or else he is very, very bowlegged! I went to the restroom, and had to go back to retrieve my gloves. dance a lot more. Marsha taught me a swing step, but once when I twirled I slid in all the confetti on the floor. Later I took off my shoes because my feet were sore. At midnight a couple Güggelis played together continuously for about 20 minutes as the crowd clapped and stomped. The Italian came back to clap my hands and he tried to clap my rear end. He asked if I would dance “après” and I said, “OK, après.” Fortunately I never saw him again! I tried dancing more with the shoes on, but gave up. Another guy asked me to dance, and I told him no, because my feet hurt. Later I danced anyway, without shoes! I saw another mother on the dance floor, and parents of one of the group kids were there, although not in costume. We also saw a couple of the medical interns just standing around. A couple times we joined a snake dance that wound upstairs into the theater hall where another band was playing for more tables of people. Towards the end of the party, someone gave me a slip of paper saying I passed the face test and could display my face within three feet of myself, or some such nonsense. “You have just barely passed the Face Inspection and may in the area of 3 meters temporarily safely flaunt. The Sweaty-footed.”

I passed the test...

Monday, February 21, 1983

The party ended at 2:00. Marsha C and I (in bare feet!), ran to Barbara S’s car to get our things, then went to the restroom to change. We met up with Urs who had taken his girlfriend home, and he, Ruth D, Marsha and I went out to Ruth’s car that mysteriously appeared (Urs?). We crowded in, and Urs drove us to Basel. The highway was empty until we neared Basel, then we joined the line of cars inching into the city. We arrived in time to park and joined the crowds hurrying into the old town, down St Alban Anlage to Aeschenvorstadt and onto Freiestrasse.

Fastnacht revelers

We passed a group of costumed people, the Bebbi (meaning Basler) Club of New York! They had lanterns on their heads, wore wild handmade costumes, and dragged a large lantern on a cart. At 4:00, all the lights in Basel suddenly went out. Fifes and drums were played as the first bands started slowly marching by. We had made it to the Basler Morgestraich, the morning lantern parade that opens the Basel Fastnacht festivities! We stood in the dark as group after group went by, each playing their own tunes and beating their own rhythms. Most groups had a large lantern, about 3-5 m/5-16’ tall and a meter/3’ squared., made with a wooden frame with cloth stretched over it, often lit within by candles. The cloth covering was covered with various motifs, either the logo of the sponsor or cartoons of local events. Some of the designs were amateurish, and others were professional, and/or clever. Many of the groups had each individual with a 6” square lantern on his head, or carried lanterns on long poles. Some groups had flashlight lanterns, lampshades, light bulbs, Christmas strings of lights, or those glow sticks that you bend and shake until you get a green glowing tube. Some groups were large, and some as small as two or three people. And they moved randomly, so that as the line of groups passed you, one might then turn left, and the next turn right, while a group may come from the opposite direction and groups would cross. We continued to Barfüsserplatz that was really crowded, but by jumping up I could see the effect of rivers of lanterns flowing in all directions, and all that time there was fife and drum music; somehow the cacaphony of different groups was harmonious.

Lantern cart and lanterns

We returned to Freiestrasse to watch even more groups go by. The crowd lessened and it was quite cold. My toes were beginning to freeze. We returned to Barfüsserplatz to sit in a café. We were lucky to get seats when a large group left. The cafés were crowded because of the crowds of people and also the bands were taking breaks. Ruth and I had Ovomaltines and Urs and Marsha had coffee. Urs also had a Zibelewaie/onion pie. At 6:30 we left to watch more bands as we wandered to Marktplatz, then Münsterplatz. It was getting light and the Münster clock struck 7:00. The bands were thinning out and we headed back to the car. You could still hear the fife and drum music. We had brought along bread and cheese for breakfast as Urs driove us to his house in Bözingen to drop off his things. But then he drove us to the Personalhaus/staff residence. We arrived just before 9:00, cleaned off our makeup, showered, and went to work! I took a nap at lunch time and afterwards I was fine.

Tuesday, February 22, 1983

At 20:30, Jong-Soon wanted to go for a walk to complain about fast women and Swiss souvenirs. I don’t know what happened to her going with the Chinese guys for Basler Morgestraich. We walked through the old town, and over to the carnival rides on Marktplatz. We went to her bank, but the bancomat was not working, so we tried the bank at Zentralplatz. It was cold.

Thursday, February 24, 1983

After work I met Jan & Kirby in the Personal/staff restaurant, and we got our 3 CHF/$1.50 meal of boiled potatoes and our choice of cheeses (slice your own). Also an old salad. We ate and talked and discussed and argued/debated until about 20:00.