Misplaced Pages

#860139

142-513: In parts of eastern and southern Germany, as well as in Austria, the carnival is called Fasching . In Franconia and Baden-Württemberg as well as some other parts of Germany, the carnival is called Fas(t)nacht , Fassenacht or Fasnet ; in Switzerland, Fasnacht . While Germany's carnival traditions are mostly celebrated in the predominantly Roman Catholic southern and western parts of

284-559: A Chrismon tree , lighting a Christingle , as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations , a custom that is sometimes done liturgically through a hanging of the greens ceremony. The analogue of Advent in Eastern Christianity is called the Nativity Fast , but it differs in meaning, length, and observances, and does not begin the liturgical church year as it does in

426-707: A Franconian identity did not develop there. Franconia's largest city is Nuremberg , which is contiguous with Erlangen and Fürth , with which it forms the Franconian conurbation with around 1.3 million inhabitants. Other important Franconian cities are Würzburg , Bamberg , Bayreuth , Ansbach and Coburg in Bavaria, Suhl and Meiningen in Thuringia, and Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg. The German word Franken —Franconians—also refers to

568-697: A chain of hill forts as a line of defence against the Germani advancing from the north. On the Staffelberg they built a powerful settlement, to which Ptolemy gave the name oppidum Menosgada , and on the Gleichberge is the largest surviving oppidum in Central Germany , the Steinsburg . With the increased expansion of Rome in the first century B.C. and the simultaneous advance of

710-719: A favoured Pfalz and an important centre of the Empire. Because parts of the Bishopric of Würzburg also fell to Bamberg, Würzburg was enfeoffed several royal estates by King Henry II by way of compensation. From the 12th century Nuremberg Castle was the seat of the Burgraviate of Nuremberg . The burgraviate was ruled from about 1190 by the Zollerns, the Franconian line of the later House of Hohenzollern , which provided

852-533: A more precise definition of Franconia's boundaries include: the territories covered by the former Duchy of Franconia and former Franconian Circle , the range of the East Franconian dialect group , the common culture and history of the region and the use of the Franconian Rake on coats of arms, flags and seals. However, a sense of popular consciousness of being Franconian is only detectable from

994-706: A reign of justice and peace. Alternatively, they symbolise the four stages of human history; creation, the Incarnation, the redemption of sins, and the Last Judgment . In Orthodox churches there are sometimes wreaths with six candles, in line with the six-week duration of the Nativity Fast/Advent. In Sweden, white candles, symbol of festivity and purity, are used in celebrating Saint Lucy's Day , 13 December, which always falls within Advent. In

1136-569: A threefold coming of Christ: firstly in the Incarnation at Bethlehem , then in a perpetual sacramental presence in the Eucharist , and thirdly at his Second Coming and final judgement . Furthermore, Advent is a time to focus on his present coming to mankind in the Word and Sacraments. It is not known when the period of preparation for Christmas that is now called Advent began, though it

1278-430: A week from the day after Saint Martin's Day (11 November). In the 6th century, local councils enjoined fasting on all days except Saturdays and Sundays from Saint Martin's Day to Epiphany (the feast of baptism), a period of 56 days, but of 40 days fasting, like the fast of Lent. It was therefore called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Saint Martin's Lent). This period of fasting was later shortened and called "Advent" by

1420-417: A woman in black storms the city hall to get the "key" for the city-/townhalls from its mayor. In many places "fools" take over city halls or municipal government and "wild" women cut men's ties wherever they get hold of them. Also, as a tradition, women are allowed to kiss every man who passes their way. On the following days, there are parades in the street organized by the local carnival clubs. The highlight of

1562-612: Is Hildburghausen in the Thuringian part of Franconia, where it occurs in the so-called Thuringian Chirotherium Sandstone ( Thüringer Chirotheriensandstein , main Middle Bunter Sandstone). Chirotherium is also found in the Bavarian and Württemberg parts of Franconia. Sites include Aura near Bad Kissingen, Karbach , Gambach and Külsheim . There the deposits are somewhat younger (Upper Bunter Sandstone), and

SECTION 10

#1732775552861

1704-520: Is a region of Germany , characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (German: Ostfränkisch ). Franconia is made up of the three Regierungsbezirke of Lower , Middle and Upper Franconia in Bavaria , the adjacent, Franconian -speaking South Thuringia , south of the Thuringian Forest —which constitutes the language boundary between Franconian and Thuringian —and

1846-777: Is a growing interest in and acceptance, by some Christian denominations of blue as an alternative liturgical colour for Advent, a custom traced to the usage of the Church of Sweden (Lutheran) and the Mozarabic Rite , which dates from the 8th century. The Lutheran Book of Worship lists blue as the preferred colour for Advent, while the Methodist Book of Worship and the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship identify purple or blue as appropriate for Advent. Proponents of this new liturgical trend argue that purple

1988-443: Is also an ancient symbol signifying several things; first of all, the crown symbolises victory, in addition to its round form evoking the sun and its return each year. The number four represents the four Sundays of Advent, and the green twigs are a sign of life and hope. The fir tree is a symbol of strength and laurel a symbol of victory over sin and suffering. The latter two, with the holly, do not lose their leaves, and thus represent

2130-569: Is called Altweiber (Old women day) in Düsseldorf or Wieverfastelovend (The women's day) in Cologne. This celebrates the beginning of the "female presence in carnival", which began in 1824, when washer-women celebrated a "workless day" on the Thursday before carnival. They founded a committee in 1824 to strengthen their presence in the still male-dominated carnival celebrations. In each city,

2272-524: Is sometimes less marked. The region of Franconia is divided among the states of Hesse, Thuringia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The largest part of Franconia, both by population and area, belongs to the Free State of Bavaria and is divided into the three administrative regions ( Regierungsbezirke ) of Middle Franconia (capital: Ansbach ), Upper Franconia (capital: Bayreuth ) and Lower Franconia (capital: Würzburg ). The name of these regions, as in

2414-792: Is the Odenwald . Parts of the southern Thuringian Forest border on Franconia. The most important hill ranges in the interior of the region are the Steigerwald and the Franconian Jura with their sub-ranges of Hahnenkamm and Franconian Switzerland . The highest mountain in Franconia is the Schneeberg in the Fichtel Mountains which is 1,051 m above  sea level (NHN) . Other well-known mountains include

2556-642: Is the other "big" and similarly famous fossil locality in the Solnhofen Formation, situated on the southern edge of the Jura in Upper Bavaria . Here, as well as Archaeopteryx , the theropod dinosaurs, Compsognathus and Juravenator , were found. An inglorious episode in the history of paleontology took place in Franconia: fake fossils, known as Beringer's Lying Stones , were acquired in

2698-622: Is then temporarily suspended during Advent and Christmas, and picks up again in earnest in the New Year. The time of merrymaking in the streets is officially declared open at the Alter Markt  [ de ] during the Cologne Carnival on the Thursday before the beginning of Lent. The main event is the street carnival that takes place in the period between the Thursday before Ash Wednesday and Ash Wednesday. Carnival Thursday

2840-585: Is traditionally associated with solemnity and somberness, which is fitting to the repentant character of Lent . There has been an increasing trend in Protestant churches to supplant purple with blue during Advent as it is a hopeful season of preparation that anticipates both Bethlehem and the consummation of history in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This colour is often called "Sarum blue", referring to its purported use at Salisbury Cathedral. Many of

2982-460: Is traditionally connected with farm servants or generally young men going from house to house in the villages and collecting sausages, eggs and bacon, which were consumed in a festivity on the same evening. While going from house to house they wore masks and made noise. The old tradition vanished in many places, in other places under influence of German carnival traditions it came to resemble carnival with its parades. The carnival season, also known as

SECTION 20

#1732775552861

3124-654: The Alemanni occupied the areas up to the Danube . Fortified settlements such as the Gelbe Bürg at Dittenheim controlled the new areas. More such Gau forts have been detected north of the former Limes as well. Which tribe their occupants belonged to is unknown in most cases. However, it is likely that it was mainly Alemanni and Juthungi , especially in the south. By contrast, it was the Burgundians who settled on

3266-659: The Alps exerted a northwards-oriented pressure. These are rocks of pre- Permian vintage, which were folded during various stages of Variscan orogeny in the Late Palaeozoic - before about 380 to 300 million years ago - and, in places, were metamorphosed under high pressure and temperature or were crystallized by ascending magma in the Earth's crust . Rocks which were unchanged or only lightly metamorphosed, because they had been deformed at shallow crustal depths, include

3408-681: The Blessed Virgin . However, on some occasions that are heavily associated with Advent, such as the Rorate Mass (but not on Sundays), white is used. During the Nativity Fast, red is used by Eastern Christianity, although gold is an alternative colour. Many churches hold special musical events, such as Nine Lessons and Carols and singing of Handel's Messiah oratorio. The Advent Prose , an antiphonal plainsong , may be sung. The "Late Advent Weekdays", 17–24 December, mark

3550-802: The Danube ; the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal crosses the European Watershed . The man-made Franconian Lake District has become a popular destination for day-trippers and tourists. The landscape is characterized by numerous Mittelgebirge ranges of the German Central Uplands . The Western natural border of Franconia is formed by the Spessart and Rhön Mountains , separating it from the former Rhenish Franconian lands around Aschaffenburg (officially part of Lower Franconia), whose inhabitants speak Hessian dialects . To

3692-830: The Eger . The Main-Danube Canal connects the Main and Danube across Franconia, running from Bamberg via Nuremberg to Kelheim . It thus complements the Rhine, Main and Danube, helping to ensure a continuous navigable waterway between the North Sea and the Black Sea . In Franconia, there are only a few, often very small, natural lakes . This is due to fact that most natural lakes in Germany are glacial or volcanic in origin, and Franconia escaped both influences in recent earth history. Among

3834-706: The Elbe Germanic tribes from the north, the Celtic culture began to fall into decline. The southern parts of present-day Franconia soon fell under Roman control; however, most of the region remained in Free Germania . Initially, Rome tried to extend its direct influence far to the northeast; in the longer term, however, the Germanic-Roman frontier formed further southwest. Under the emperors, Domitian (81–96), Trajan (98–117) and Hadrian (117–138),

3976-681: The Haller Ebene plateau, South Franconian dialects are spoken. Furthermore, in those easternmost parts of the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis which had formerly belonged to the Bishopric of Würzburg , the inhabitants have preserved their Franconian identity. Franconian areas in East Hesse along Spessart and Rhön comprise Gersfeld and Ehrenberg . The two largest cities of Franconia are Nuremberg and Fürth . Though located on

4118-525: The Hohenlohe Plain . In the south of Franconia are smaller parts of the flat Nördlinger Ries , one of the best preserved impact craters on earth. Franconia's flora is dominated by deciduous and coniferous forests. Natural forests in Franconia occur mainly in the ranges of the Spessart, Franconian Forest, Odenwald and Steigerwald. The Nuremberg Reichswald is another great forest , located within

4260-599: The Lower Carboniferous shale and greywacke of Franconian Forest. The Fichtel mountains, the Münchberg Plateau and the Spessart, by contrast, have more metamorphic rocks ( phyllite , schist , amphibolite , gneiss ). The Fichtel mountains are also characterized by large granite bodies, called post-kinematic plutons which, in the late phase of Variscan orogeny, intruded into the metamorphic rocks. In most cases these are S-type granites whose melting

4402-561: The Nativity Fast . According to Saint Gregory of Tours the celebration of Advent began in the fifth century when the Bishop Perpetuus directed that starting with the St. Martin's Day on 11 November until Christmas, one fasts three times per week; this is why Advent was sometimes also named "Lent of St. Martin". This practice remained limited to the diocese of Tours until the sixth century. The Council of Macon held in 581 adopted

Carnival in Germany, Switzerland and Austria - Misplaced Pages Continue

4544-779: The Ochsenkopf (1,024m ), the Kreuzberg (927.8m ) and the Hesselberg (689.4m ). The outliers of the region include the Hesselberg and the Gleichberge . The lowest point in Franconia is the water level of the river Main in Kahl which lies at a height of 100 metres above sea level. In addition to the hill and mountain ranges, there are also several very level areas, including the Middle Franconian Basin and

4686-581: The Rhaetian Limes was built as a border facing the Germanic tribes to the north. This defensive line ran through the south of Franconia and described an arc across the region whose northernmost point lay at present-day Gunzenhausen . To protect it, the Romans built several forts like Biriciana at Weißenburg , but by the mid-third century, the border could no longer be maintained and by 250 A.D.

4828-846: The Rhine ) and even included Frankfurt ("ford of the Franks"). In the early 10th century, the Babenbergs and Conradines fought for power in Franconia. Ultimately this discord led to the Babenberg Feud which was fuelled and controlled by the crown. The outcome of this feud meant the loss of power for the Babenbergs, but indirectly resulted in the Conradines winning the crown of East Francia. Sometime around 906, Conrad succeeded in establishing his ducal hegemony over Franconia, but when

4970-417: The Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , the readings of Mass on the Sundays of Advent have distinct themes: A variety of practices derived from the Roman rite are observed in various protestant churches which retain similar liturgical practices. Other variations of the themes celebrated on each of the four Sundays include: [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in

5112-413: The Second Coming . The season of Advent in the Christian calendar anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem , the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the eschatological Second Coming. Practices associated with Advent include Advent calendars , lighting an Advent wreath , praying an Advent daily devotional , erecting

5254-481: The South German Scarplands . The regional geological element of the South German Scarplands is the Franconian Platform ( Süddeutsche Großscholle ). At the so-called Franconian Line , a significant fault line , the Saxo-Thuringian-Moldanubian basement was uplifted in places up to 2000 m above the Franconian Platform. The western two-thirds of Franconia is dominated by the Triassic with its sandstones , siltstones and claystones (so-called siliciclastics ) of

5396-452: The Spessart (largest city: Aschaffenburg ) do consider themselves Franconian, although not speaking the dialect. Heilbronn-Franconia's largest city of Heilbronn and its surrounding areas are South Franconian -speaking, and therefore only sometimes regarded as Franconian. In Hesse , the east of the Fulda District is Franconian-speaking, and parts of the Oden Forest District are sometimes regarded as Franconian for historical reasons, but

5538-447: The Temnospondyle Mastodonsaurus ingens (possibly identical with the mastodonsaurus, Heptasaurus cappelensis ) from the Upper Bunter at Gambach. As early as the first decade of the 19th century George, Count of Münster began systematic fossil gathering and digs and in the Upper Muschelkalk at Bayreuth . For example, the Oschenberg hill near Laineck became the type locality of two relatively well-known marine reptiles of

5680-425: The Wettin duchy of Saxe-Meiningen . In the east, the Fichtel Mountains lead to Vogtland , Bohemian Egerland ( Chebsko ) in the Czech Republic , and the Bavarian Upper Palatinate . The hills of the Franconian Jura in the south mark the border with the Upper Bavarian region ( Altbayern ), historical Swabia , and the Danube basin. The northern parts of the Upper Bavarian Eichstätt District , territory of

5822-408: The bunter sandstone ; the limestones and marls of the Muschelkalk and the mixed, but predominantly siliciclastic, sedimentary rocks of the Keuper . In the Rhön , the Triassic rocks are overlain and intruded by volcanic rock ( basalts , basanites , phonolites and trachytes ) of the Tertiary . The eastern third of Franconia is dominated by the Jurassic rocks of the Franconian Jura , with

Carnival in Germany, Switzerland and Austria - Misplaced Pages Continue

5964-496: The dative plural form of Franke , a member of the Germanic people known as the Franks . The name of the Franks in turn derives from a word meaning "daring, bold", cognate with old Norwegian frakkr , "quick, bold". Franks from the Middle and Lower Rhine gradually gained control of (and so gave their name to) what is now Franconia during the 6th to 8th centuries. English distinguishes between Franks (the early medieval Germanic people) and Franconians in reference to

6106-400: The ethnic group , which is mainly to be found in this region. They are to be distinguished from the Germanic people of the Franks , and historically formed their easternmost settlement area. The origins of Franconia lie in the settlement of the Franks from the 6th century in the area probably populated until then mainly by the Elbe Germanic people in the Main River area, known from

6248-467: The imperial city declared itself "Swabian" in 1442 — and Crailsheim on the Jagst river. The main towns in Thuringia are Suhl and Meiningen . Franconia may be distinguished from the regions that surround it by its peculiar historical factors and its cultural and especially linguistic characteristics, but it is not a political entity with a fixed or tightly defined area. As a result, it is debated whether some areas belong to Franconia or not. Pointers to

6390-402: The vestments of the clergy, and often also the tabernacle . On the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday , rose may be used instead, referencing the rose used on Laetare Sunday , the fourth Sunday of Lent. A rose-coloured candle in Western Christianity is referenced as a sign of joy ( Gaudete ) lit on the third Sunday of Advent. While the traditional colour for Advent is violet, there

6532-440: The "Fifth Season", begins each year on 11 November at 11:11 a.m. and finishes on Ash Wednesday of the following year with the main festivities happening around Rosenmontag (Rose Monday). Although the festivities and parties start as early as the beginning of January, the actual carnival week starts on the Fat Thursday ( Weiberfastnacht ) before Ash Wednesday (in Germany). The big German carnival parades are held on

6674-421: The 13th century, the following states, among others, had formed in the territory of the former Duchy: On 2 July 1500 during the reign of Emperor Maximilian I , as part of the Imperial Reform Movement , the Empire was divided into Imperial Circles . This led in 1512 to the formation of the Franconian Circle . Seen from a modern perspective, the Franconian Circle may be viewed as an important basis for

6816-401: The 15th century and " O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf " , published in 1622. Johann Sebastian Bach composed several cantatas for Advent in Weimar, from Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland , BWV 61, to Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben , BWV 147a, but only one more in Leipzig where he worked for the longest time, because there Advent was a silent time which allowed cantata music only on

6958-480: The 1720s by Würzburg doctor and naturalist, Johann Beringer , for a lot of money and then described in a monograph , along with genuine fossils from the Würzburg area. However, it is not entirely clear whether the Beringer forgeries were actually planted or whether he himself was responsible for the fraud. Franconia has a humid cool temperate transitional climate, which is neither very continental nor very maritime. The average monthly temperatures vary depending on

7100-472: The 1970s but the archaeocyathids among them were apparently overlooked at that time. Better known and more highly respected fossil finds in Franconia come from the unfolded sedimentary rocks of the Triassic and Jurassic. The bunter sandstone , however, only has a relatively small number of preserved whole fossils. Much more commonly, it contains trace fossils , especially the tetrapod footprints of Chirotherium . The type locality for these animal tracks

7242-406: The 19th century onwards, which is why the circumstances of the emergence of a Frankish identity are disputed. Franconia has many cultural peculiarities which have been adopted from other regions and further developed. The following regions are counted as part of Franconia today: the Bavarian provinces of Lower Franconia , Upper Franconia and Middle Franconia , the municipality of Pyrbaum in

SECTION 50

#1732775552861

7384-524: The 8th century. Despite its name, Franconia is not the homeland of the Franks, but rather owes its name to being partially settled by Franks from the Rhineland during the 7th century following the defeat of the Alamanni and Thuringians who had dominated the region earlier. At the beginning of the 10th century a Duchy of Franconia (German: Herzogtum Franken ) was established within East Francia , which comprised modern Hesse , Palatinate , parts of Baden-Württemberg and most of today's Franconia. After

7526-406: The 9th century as East Francia ( Francia Orientalis ). In the Middle Ages the region formed much of the eastern part of the Duchy of Franconia and, from 1500, the Franconian Circle . The restructuring of the south German states by Napoleon , after the demise of the Holy Roman Empire , saw most of Franconia awarded to Bavaria. The German name for Franconia, Franken , comes from

7668-405: The Advent wreath originated among German Lutherans in the 16th century. However, it was not until three centuries later that the modern Advent wreath took shape. The modern Advent wreath, with its candles representing the Sundays of Advent, originated from an 1839 initiative by Johann Hinrich Wichern , a Protestant pastor in Germany and a pioneer in urban mission work among the poor. To deal with

7810-423: The Alemannic or Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht in Swabia (Southwestern Germany), Switzerland , Alsace and Vorarlberg (Western Austria). The Rhenish Carnival ( Rheinischer Karneval , mainly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate ) is famous for celebrations such as parades and costume balls. Cologne Carnival is the largest and most famous. Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz are held in

7952-553: The Altmühl. There are also numerous Special Areas of Conservation and protected landscapes . In Franconia there are very many tufas , raised stream beds near river sources within the karst landscape that are known as 'stone runnels' ( Steinerne Rinnen ). There are protected examples at Heidenheim and Wolfsbronn . Like large parts of Germany, Franconia only has a few large species of wild animal. Forest dwellers include various species of marten , fallow deer , red deer , roe deer , wild boar and fox . In natural areas such as

8094-432: The Bavarian part of Franconia were found in the cave ruins of Hunas at Pommelsbrunn in the county of Nuremberg Land . In the late Bronze Age , the region was probably only sparsely inhabited, as few noble metals occur here and the soils are only moderately fertile. In the subsequent Iron Age (from about 800 B.C.) the Celts became the first nation to be discernible in the region. In northern Franconia they built

8236-432: The Bavarian regions of Upper Palatinate and Upper Bavaria . The Franconian territories of Baden-Württemberg are the regions of Tauber Franconia and Hohenlohe (which belong to the Heilbronn-Franconia Region with its office in Heilbronn and form part of the Stuttgart Region ) and the area around the Badenian Buchen in the Rhein-Neckar Region . The Franconian parts of Thuringia ( Henneberg Franconia ) lie within

8378-474: The Church. In the Anglican and Lutheran churches this fasting rule was later relaxed. The Roman Catholic Church later abolished the precept of fasting during Advent (at an unknown date at the latest in 1917 ), later, but kept Advent as a season of penitence . In addition to fasting, dancing and similar festivities were forbidden in these traditions. On Rose Sunday , relaxation of the fast was permitted. Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches still hold

8520-412: The Fichtel mountains there are populations of lynx and capercaillie , and beaver and otter have grown in numbers. There are occasional sightings of animals that had long been extinct in Central Europe, for example, the wolf . Only in the extreme northeast of Franconia and in the Spessart are there Variscan outcrops of the crystalline basement , which were uplifted from below the surface when

8662-423: The Franconian countryside. In the southeast, Franconia is shielded from the rest of Bavaria by the Franconian Jura . In the east, the Fichtel Mountains form the border; in the north are Franconian Forest , the Thuringian Forest , the Rhön Mountains and the Spessart form a kind of natural barrier. To the west are the Franconian Heights and the Swabian-Franconian Forest . In the Franconian part of South Hesse

SECTION 60

#1732775552861

8804-469: The German emperors of the 19th and 20th century. Under the Hohenstaufen kings, Conrad III and Frederick Barbarossa , Franconia became the centre of power in the Empire. During the time when there was no emperor, the Interregnum (1254–1273), some territorial princes became ever more powerful. After the Interregnum, however, the rulers succeeded in re-establishing a stronger royal lordship in Franconia. Franconia soon played an important role again for

8946-399: The German magazine, Focus , on quality of life in 2014, the districts of Eichstätt and Fürth were among the top positions in the table. In the Glücksatlas by Deutsche Post Franconia achieved some of the highest scores, but the region slipped in 2013 to 13th place out of 19. Franconia is named after the Franks , a Germanic tribe who conquered most of Western Europe by the middle of

9088-405: The Lower and Middle Main. Many of these hill forts appear to have been destroyed, however, no later than 500 A.D. The reasons are not entirely clear, but it could have been as a result of invasions by the Huns which thus triggered the Great Migration . In many cases, however, it was probably conquest by the Franks that spelt the end of these hilltop settlements. With their victories over

9230-408: The Messiah; the first is the symbol of the forgiveness granted to Adam and Eve, the second is the symbol of the faith of Abraham and of the patriarchs who believe in the gift of the Promised Land , the third is the symbol of the joy of David whose lineage does not stop and also testifies to his covenant with God, and the fourth and last candle is the symbol of the teaching of the prophets who announce

9372-409: The Rhineland have their own individual carnival traditions. Nationally famous are the carnival in Cologne (Köln), Düsseldorf and Mainz . In the Rhineland, the culmination of the carnival around Rosenmontag is considered to be the "fifth season of the year". Clubs organize show events called Sitzung with club members or invited guests performing dance, comedy and songs in costumes. Around Mainz

9514-475: The Southwest Thuringia Planning Region. The Franconian regions in Hesse form the smaller parts of the districts of Fulda ( Kassel region ) and the Odenwaldkreis ( Darmstadt region ), or lie on the borders with Bavaria or Thuringia. The two most important rivers of the region are the Main and its primary tributary, the Regnitz . The tributaries of these two rivers in Franconia are the Tauber , Pegnitz , Rednitz and Franconian Saale . Other major rivers in

9656-415: The Steigerwald caused controversy and its designation was rejected in July 2011 by the Bavarian government . The reason was the negative attitude of local population. Conservationists are now demanding protection for parts of the Steigerwald by nominating it for a World Heritage Site. There are several nature parks in Franconia, including the Altmühl Valley Nature Park , which, since 1969, has been one of

9798-479: The Sunday that falls on or closest to 30 November and it ends before First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of Christmas. The first day of Advent also begins a new liturgical year . In the Ambrosian Rite and the Mozarabic Rite of the Catholic Church, Advent begins on the sixth Sunday before Christmas, the Sunday after St. Martin's Day (11 November). For Western Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions, Advent signifies preparation for

9940-432: The Triassic period, later found in other parts of Central Europe: the "flat tooth lizard", Placodus and the "false lizard", Nothosaurus . In Franconia's middle Keuper (the Feuerletten ) is one of the best known and most common species of dinosaurs of Central Europe: Plateosaurus engelhardti , an early representative of the sauropodomorpha . Its type locality is located at Heroldsberg south of Nuremberg. When

10082-408: The Triassic, the Franconian part of these depressions was often part of the mainland, in the Jurassic it was covered for most of the time by a marginal sea of the western Tethys Ocean . At the time when the limestones and dolomites of the White Jura were being deposited, this sea was divided into sponge reefs and intervening lagoons. The reef bodies and the fine-grained lagoon limestones and marls are

10224-681: The West. The Eastern Nativity Fast does not use the term parousia in its preparatory services. In the Anglican , Lutheran , Moravian , Presbyterian , and Methodist calendars, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (always falling between 27 November and 3 December), and ends on Christmas Eve on 24 December. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , Advent begins with First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of

10366-537: The area between about -1 to -2 °C in January and 17 to 19 °C in August, but may reach a peak of about 35 °C for a few days in the summer, especially in the large cities. The climate of Franconia is sunny and relatively warm. For part of the summer, for example, Lower Franconia is one of the sunniest areas in Germany. Daily temperatures in the Bavarian part of Franconia are an average of 0.1 °C higher than

10508-724: The area of Franconia. In 1991 UNESCO recognised the Rhön as a biosphere reserve . Among the most picturesque geotopes in Bavaria, are the Franconian sites of Fossa Carolina , the Twelve Apostle Rocks ( Zwölf-Apostel-Felsen ), the Ehrenbürg , the cave ruins of Riesenburg and the lake of Frickenhäuser See . The European Bird Reserves in Franconia are found mainly in uplands like the Steigerwald, in large forests like Nuremberg's Imperial Forest or along rivers like

10650-404: The average for Bavaria as a whole. Relatively less rain falls in Franconia, and likewise in the rest of North Bavaria rain than is usual for its geographic location; even summer storms are often less powerful than in other areas of South Germany. In southern Bavaria about 2,000 mm of precipitation falls annually and almost three times as much as in parts of Franconia (about 500–900 mm) in

10792-486: The carnival period however is Rose Monday ( Rosenmontag ). Although Rose Monday is not an official holiday in the Rhineland, in practice most public life comes to a halt and almost all workplaces are closed. The biggest parades are on Rose Monday, the famous Rosenmontagsumzug (Rose Monday Parade), e.g. in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and many other cities. During these events, hundreds of thousands of people celebrate in

10934-532: The case of Upper and Lower Bavaria , refers to their situation with respect to the river Main . Thus Upper Franconia lies on the upper reaches of the river, Lower Franconia on its lower reaches and Middle Franconia lies in between, although the Main itself does not flow through Middle Franconia. Where the boundaries of these three provinces meet (the ' tripoint ') is the Dreifrankenstein ("Three Franconias Rock"). Small parts of Franconia also belong to

11076-660: The celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming . It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity . The name comes from Latin adventus ('coming; arrival'), translating the Greek parousia from the New Testament , originally referring to

11218-540: The construction of numerous churches and castles in this area goes back to the work of this Roman Catholic military order. The residence place of the bailiwick was at Ellingen until 1789 when it was transferred to today's Bad Mergentheim . Other orders such as the Knights Templar could not gain a foothold in Franconia; the Order of St. John worked in the Bishopric of Würzburg and had short term commands. As of

11360-581: The corresponding stratigraphic interval is called the Franconian Chirotherium Beds ( Fränkische Chirotherienschichten ). Among the less significant body fossil records of vertebrates are the procolophonid Anomoiodon liliensterni from Reurieth in the Thuringian part of Franconia and Koiloskiosaurus coburgiensis from Mittelberg near Coburg, both from the Thuringian Chirotherium Sandstone, and

11502-584: The country, the Protestant north traditionally knows a festival under the Low Saxon names Fastelavend [ˈfastl̩ˌɒːvɱ̍t] , Fastelabend [ˈfastl̩ˌɒːbm̩t] and Fastlaam (also spelled Fastlom , IPA: [ˈfastl̩ɒːm] ). This name has been imported to Denmark as Fastelavn and is related to Vastenoavond in the Low-Saxon-speaking parts of the Netherlands. It

11644-722: The county of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz , the northwestern part of the Upper Bavarian county of Eichstätt (covering the same area as the old county of Alt-Eichstätt), the East Franconian counties of South Thuringia , parts of Fulda and the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, the Baden-Württemberg regions of Tauber Franconia and Hohenlohe as well as the region around the Badenian Buchen . In individual cases

11786-676: The dark shales of the Black Jura , the shales and ferruginous sandstones of the Brown Jura and, the weathering-resistant limestones and dolomitic rocks of the White Jura , which stand out from the landscape and form the actual ridge of the Franconian Jura itself. In the Jura, mostly siliciclastic sedimentary rocks formed in the Cretaceous have survived. The Mesozoic sediments have been deposited in largescale basin areas. During

11928-637: The direct Carolingian male line failed in 911, Conrad was acclaimed King of the Germans , largely because of his weak position in his own duchy. Franconia, like Alamannia was fairly fragmented and the duke's position was often disputed between the chief families. Conrad had granted Franconia to his brother Eberhard on his succession, but when Eberhard rebelled against Otto I in 938, he was deposed from his duchy, which disintegrated in 939 on Eberhard's death into West or Rhenish Franconia ( Francia Rhenensis ), and East Franconia ( Francia Orientalis ) and

12070-678: The dissolution of the so-called Stem duchy of Franconia, the Holy Roman Emperors created the Franconian Circle (German Fränkischer Reichskreis ) in 1500 to embrace the principalities that grew out of the eastern half of the former duchy. The territory of the Franconian Circle roughly corresponds with modern Franconia. The title of Duke of Franconia was claimed by the Würzburg bishops until 1803 and by

12212-519: The early 7th century. Saint Kilian , who together with his companions, Saint Colman and Saint Totnan are considered to be the apostles to the Franks, suffering martyrdom in Würzburg in the late 7th century, probably did not encounter any pagans in the ducal court. It was probably Saint Boniface who carried the Christian mission deep into the heart of the ordinary population of Franconia. In

12354-723: The eastern parts of Heilbronn-Franconia in Baden-Württemberg . Those parts of the Vogtland lying in Saxony (largest city: Plauen ) are sometimes regarded as Franconian as well, because the Vogtlandian dialects are mostly East Franconian. The inhabitants of Saxon Vogtland, however, mostly do not consider themselves Franconian. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the Hessian -speaking parts of Lower Franconia west of

12496-522: The eternity of God. The flames of candles are the representation of the Christmas light approaching and bringing hope and peace, as well as the symbol of the struggle against darkness. For Christians, this crown is also the symbol of Christ the King , the holly recalling the crown of thorns resting on the head of Christ. The Advent wreath is adorned with candles, usually three violet or purple and one pink;

12638-677: The fancy of nineteenth-century ritualists." While the Sarum use was influential, different dioceses, including Salisbury, used a variety of coloured vestments. "In the Sarum Rite the Advent colour was red, but it could very well have been the red-purple known as murray ..." The Roman Catholic Church retains the traditional violet. Blue is not generally used in Latin Catholicism, and where it does regionally, it has nothing to do with Advent specifically, but with veneration of

12780-558: The first day of Advent often heralds the start of the Christmas season , with many people opting to erect their Christmas trees and Christmas decorations on or immediately before Advent Sunday. Since 2011, an Advent labyrinth consisting of 2,500 tealights has been formed for the third Saturday of Advent in Frankfurt-Bornheim . The keeping of an Advent wreath is a common practice in homes or churches. The concept of

12922-541: The first of the four Sundays. During Advent, the Gloria of the Mass is omitted, so that the return of the angels' song at Christmas has an effect of novelty. Mass compositions written especially for Lent, such as Michael Haydn's Missa tempore Quadragesimae , in D minor for choir and organ, have no Gloria and so are appropriate for use in Advent. Bishop Perpetuus of Tours, who died in 490, ordered fasting three days

13064-509: The five Sundays preceding Christmas and for the corresponding Wednesdays and Fridays. The homilies of Gregory the Great in the late sixth century showed four weeks to the liturgical season of Advent, but without the observance of a fast. Under Charlemagne in the ninth century, writings claim that the fast was still widely observed. In the 13th century, the fast of Advent was not commonly practised although, according to Durand of Mende, fasting

13206-648: The heartlands of the Alamanni and Thuringians in the 6th century, the present region of Franconia also fell to the Franks . After the division of the Frankish Empire , East Francia ( Francia orientialis ) was formed from the territories of the dioceses of Mainz , Worms , Würzburg and Speyer . Later, the diocese of Bamberg was added. In the 7th century, the Slavs started to populate the northeastern parts of

13348-588: The high medieval stem duchy , following Middle Latin use of Francia for France vs. Franconia for the German duchy. In German the name Franken is equally used for both, while the French are called Franzosen , after Old French françois , from Latin franciscus , from Late Latin Francus , from Frank , the Germanic people. The Franconian lands lie principally in Bavaria, north and south of

13490-597: The historical Bishopric of Eichstätt , are also counted as part of Franconia. In the west, Franconia proper comprises the Tauber Franconia region along the Tauber river, which as of 2014 is largely part of the Main-Tauber-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg. The state's larger Heilbronn-Franken region also includes the adjacent Hohenlohe and Schwäbisch Hall districts . In the city of Heilbronn , beyond

13632-440: The impatience of the children awaiting Christmas, whom he was teaching, Wichern made a ring of wood, with 19 small red tapers and four large white candles. Every morning a small candle was lit, and every Sunday a large candle. Modern practice only retains the large candles. The wreath crown is traditionally made of fir tree branches knotted with a red ribbon and decorated with pine cones, holly, laurel, and sometimes mistletoe. It

13774-642: The inhabitants of Bavaria and Swabia . Unlike the other stem duchies, Franconia became the homeland and power base of East Frankish and German kings after the Ottonians died out in 1024. As a result, in the High Middle Ages , the region did not become a strong regional force such as those which formed in Saxony, Bavaria and Swabia . In 1007, the later canonized Henry II founded the Bishopric of Bamberg and endowed it with rich estates. Bamberg became

13916-414: The kings of Bavaria until 1918. Examples of Franconian cities founded by Frankish noblemen are Würzburg , first mentioned in the 7th century, Ansbach , first mentioned in 748, and Weissenburg , founded in the 7th century. Fossil finds show that the region was already settled by primitive man , Homo erectus , in the middle Ice Age about 600,000 years ago. Probably the oldest human remains in

14058-631: The largest in Germany. Other nature parks are the Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park in Baden-Württemberg, and the nature parks of Bavarian Rhön , Fichtel Mountains , Franconian Heights , Franconian Forest , Franconian Switzerland-Franconian Jura , Haßberge , Spessart and Steigerwald in Bavaria, as well as the Bergstraße-Odenwald Nature Park which straddles Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. Nature parks cover almost half

14200-597: The largest waterbodies are reservoirs , which are mostly used as water reserves for the relatively dry landscapes of Franconia. These include the waters of the Franconian Lake District , which was established in the 1970s and is also a tourist attraction. The heart of these lakes is the Großer Brombachsee , which has an area of 8.7 km and is thus the largest waterbody in Franconia by surface area. Several Central Upland ranges dominate

14342-472: The latest. In Normandy , farmers employed children under twelve to run through the fields and orchards armed with torches, setting fire to bundles of straw, and thus, it was believed, driving out such vermin as were likely to damage the crops. In Italy, among other Advent celebrations, is the entry into Rome in the last days of Advent of the Calabrian pifferari , or bagpipe players, who play before

14484-597: The material from which the majority of the Franconian Jura is composed today. Following a drop in the sea level towards the end of the Upper Jurassic, larger areas also became part of the mainland at the beginning of the subsequent Cretaceous period. During the Upper Cretaceous, the sea advanced again up to the area of the Franconian Jura. At the end of the Cretaceous, the sea then retreated again from

14626-731: The membership of some areas is disputed. These include the Bavarian language area of Alt- Eichstätt and the Hessian-speaking region around Aschaffenburg , which was never part of the Franconian Imperial Circle. The affiliation of the city of Heilbronn , whose inhabitants do not call themselves Franks, is also controversial. Moreover, the sense of belonging to Franconia in the Frankish-speaking areas of Upper Palatinate , South Thuringia and Hesse

14768-603: The metropolitan region of Nuremberg. Other large areas of forest in the region are the Mönchswald , the Reichsforst in the Fichtel Mountains and the Selb Forest . In the river valleys along the Main and Tauber, the countryside was developed for viticulture. In Spessart there are great oak forests. Also widespread are calcareous grasslands , extensively used pastures on very oligotrophic , poor sites. In particular,

14910-435: The mid-9th century the tribal Duchy of Franconia emerged, one of the five tribal or stem duchies of East Francia . The territory of the stem duchy was far bigger than modern Franconia and covered the whole of present-day Hesse, northern Baden-Württemberg, southern Thuringia, large parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and parts of the Franconian provinces in Bavaria. It extended as far west as Speyer , Mainz , and Worms (west of

15052-685: The monarchy at the time of Rudolf of Habsburg ; the itineraries of his successors showing their preference for the Rhine-Main region. In 1376 the Swabian League of Cities was founded and was joined later by several Franconian imperial cities . During the 13th century the Teutonic Order was formed, taking over its first possession in Franconia in 1209, the Bailiwick of Franconia. The foundation of many schools and hospitals and

15194-577: The most frequently performed piece of music during such a " Sitzung " is the " Narrhallamarsch ". The committee that organizes the events in each town consists of a president and 10 junior members and is called the "Council of Eleven" or Elferrat . The number eleven, elf in German, is significant in Carneval celebrations because it is an acronym for the French Revolution values of egalité, liberté, fraternité . The carnival spirit

15336-406: The name are Fasnacht , Fasnet , or Fasent . Fastnacht is held in Baden-Württemberg , parts of Bavaria , Alsace, German Switzerland, and Austrian Vorarlberg . The festival starts on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, known in these regions as Schmutziger Donnerstag , Schmotziger Donnerstag , Schmutzige-Dunschdig or Fettdonnerstag . In standard German, schmutzig means "dirty", but actually

15478-611: The name is from Alemannic dialects where schmotz means "lard" ( Schmalz ), or "fat". It continues in some parts with the Shrove Monday , though often differently called, e.g. Güdismontag (literally: Paunch Monday) in Lucerne , and the last day before Ash Wednesday on Fat Tuesday ( Mardi Gras ), in Lucerne known as Güdisdienstag (literally: Paunch Tuesday), often the most intense Fasnacht day. Also, in Germany, this used to be

15620-724: The north rise the Rennsteig ridge of the Thuringian Forest , the Thuringian Highland and the Franconian Forest , the border with the Upper Saxon lands of Thuringia . The Franconian lands include the present-day South Thuringian districts of Schmalkalden-Meiningen , Hildburghausen and Sonneberg , the historical Gau of Grabfeld , held by the House of Henneberg from the 11th century and later part of

15762-571: The oldest in Bavaria, are archaeocyatha , sponge -like, goblet-shaped marine organisms, which were discovered in 2013 in a limestone block of Late Lower Cambrian age, about 520 million years old. The block comes from the vicinity Schwarzenbach am Wald from the so-called Heinersreuth Block Conglomerate ( Heinersreuther Blockkonglomerat ), a Lower Carboniferous wildflysch . However, the aforementioned archaeocyathids are not three-dimensional fossils, but two-dimensional thin sections . These thin sections had already been prepared and investigated in

15904-676: The ornaments and ceremonial practices associated with the Sarum rite were revived in the Anglican Communion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as part of the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement in the Church of England. While Anglican liturgist Percy Dearmer does not object to the use of blue during Advent, he did not attribute its use to Sarum. "[T]he so-called Sarum uses are really one-half made up from

16046-455: The papal court but there was no mention of fasting. It was then customary in Rome to observe five weeks of Advent before Christmas. The Ambrosian Rite has six. The Greeks show no more real consistency: Advent was an optional fast that some begin on 15 November, while others begin on 6 December or only a few days before Christmas. The liturgy of Advent remained unchanged until the Second Vatican Council introduced minor changes, differentiating

16188-409: The pink candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, called " Gaudete Sunday " after the opening word, Gaudete , meaning 'Rejoice', of the entrance antiphon at Mass . Some add a fifth candle (white), known as the "Christ candle", in the middle of the wreath, to be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The candles symbolise, in one interpretation, the great stages of salvation before the coming of

16330-408: The practice in Tours. Soon all France observed three days of fasting a week from the feast of Saint Martin until Christmas. The most devout worshipers in some countries exceeded the requirements adopted by the council, and fasted every day of Advent. The first clear references in the Western Church to Advent occur in the Gelasian Sacramentary , which provides Advent Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for

16472-443: The public media to be Germany's three carnival strongholds, but carnival celebrations are also widespread elsewhere in the Rhineland. In the Rhineland festivities developed especially strongly, since it was a way to express subversive anti- Prussian and anti-French thoughts in times of occupation, through parody and mockery. Modern carnival there began in 1823 with the founding of a Carnival Club in Cologne. Most cities and villages of

16614-409: The rain shadow of the Spessart, Rhön and Odenwald. Franconia, as part of Germany, has a high quality of life . In the Worldwide Quality of Living Survey by Mercer in 2010, the city of Nuremberg was one of the top 25 cities in the world in terms of quality of life and came sixth in Germany. In environmental ranking Nuremberg came thirteenth in the world and was the best German city In a survey by

16756-416: The region are the Jagst and Kocher in Hohenlohe-Franconia, which empty into the Neckar north of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, the Altmühl and the Wörnitz in Middle Franconia, both tributaries of the Danube , and the upper and middle reaches of the Werra , the right-hand headstream of the Weser . In the northeast of Upper Franconia rise two left-hand tributaries of the Elbe : the Saxon Saale and

16898-419: The region from the east, because the area of today's Upper Franconia was very sparsely populated ( Bavaria Slavica ). However, in the 10th and 11th centuries, they largely gave up their own language and cultural tradition. The majority of the population of Franconia was pagan well into the Early Middle Ages , The first people to spread the Christian faith strongly were wandering Irish Anglo-Saxon monks in

17040-472: The region. In addition, large parts of South and Central Germany experienced a general uplift -or in areas where the basement had broken through a substantial uplift - the course of formation of the Alps during the Tertiary. Since then, Franconia has been mainly influenced by erosion and weathering (especially in the Jura in the form of karst ), which has ultimately led to formation of today's landscapes. The oldest macrofossils in Franconia, which are also

17182-411: The relative importance of penitence and expectation during the weeks in Advent. Since approximately the 13th century, the usual liturgical colour in Western Christianity for Advent has been violet; Pope Innocent III declared black to be the proper colour for Advent, though Durandus of Saint-Pourçain claims violet has preference over black. The violet or purple colour is often used for antependia ,

17324-416: The remains of Plateosaurus were first discovered there in 1834, it was the first discovery of a dinosaur on German soil, and this occurred even before the name "dinosauria" was coined. Another important Plateosaurus find in Franconia was made at Ellingen . Far more famous than Plateosaurus , Placodus and Nothosaurus is the Archaeopteryx , probably the first bird geologically. It was discovered in

17466-427: The sense of a common Franconian identity that exists today. The Franconian Circle also shaped the geographical limits of the present-day Franconia. In the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, the Imperial Circle was severely affected by Kleinstaaterei , the patchwork of tiny states in this region of Germany. As during the late Middle Ages, the bishops of Würzburg used the nominal title of Duke of Franconia during

17608-481: The shrines of Mary, the mother of Jesus: in Italian tradition, the shepherds played these pipes when they came to the manger at Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Jesus. In recent times, the most common observance of Advent outside church circles has been the keeping of an Advent calendar or Advent candle , with one door being opened in the calendar, or one section of the candle being burned, on each day in December leading up to Christmas Eve. In many countries,

17750-421: The singing of the Great Advent ' O antiphons '. These are the daily antiphons for the Magnificat at Vespers , Evensong , or Evening Prayer , in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, and mark the forthcoming birth of the Messiah. They form the basis for each verse of the popular Advent hymn " O come, O come, Emmanuel ". German songs for Advent include " Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen " from

17892-400: The sinuous River Main which, together with the left (southern) Regnitz tributary, including its Rednitz and Pegnitz headstreams, drains most of Franconia. Other large rivers include the upper Werra in Thuringia and the Tauber , as well as the upper Jagst and Kocher streams in the west, both right tributaries of the Neckar . In southern Middle Franconia, the Altmühl flows towards

18034-402: The southeastern periphery of the area, the Nuremberg metropolitan area is often identified as the economic and cultural centre of Franconia. Further cities in Bavarian Franconia include Würzburg , Erlangen , Bayreuth , Bamberg , Aschaffenburg , Schweinfurt , Hof , Coburg , Ansbach and Schwabach . The major (East) Franconian towns in Baden-Württemberg are Schwäbisch Hall on the Kocher —

18176-401: The southern Franconian Jura , with the Altmühl Valley , is characterized by poor grassland of this type. Many of these places have been designated as a protected areas . Franconia has several regions with sandy habitats that are unique for south Germany and are protected as the so-called Sand Belt of Franconia or Sandachse Franken . When the Altmühlsee reservoir was built, a bird island

18318-467: The southern Franconian Jura, inter alia at the famous fossil site of Solnhofen in the Solnhofen Platform Limestone ( Solnhofener Plattenkalk , (Solnhofen-Formation, early Tithonian , Upper Jurassic). In addition to Archaeopteryx , in the very fine-grained, laminated lagoon limestones are the pterosaur Pterodactylus and various bony fishes as well as numerous extremely detailed examples of invertebrates e.g. feather stars and dragonflies . Eichstätt

18460-406: The spirit of Lent from that of Advent, emphasising Advent as a season of hope for Christ's coming now as a promise of his Second Coming. The theme of readings and teachings during Advent is often the preparation for the Second Coming and the Last Judgement . While the Sunday readings relate to the first coming of Jesus Christ as saviour as well as to his Second Coming as judge, traditions vary in

18602-420: The streets, even if temperatures are low, most of them dressed up in costumes. Many regions have special carnival cries (Cologne, Bonn and Aachen : Alaaf! ; Düsseldorf and Mainz: Helau! ). The carnival in the Netherlands is partially derived from the Rhenish carnival. The Swabian - Alemannic carnival is known as Fastnacht , where Fast(en)-Nacht means the eve of the Fastenzeit ( lent ). Variants of

18744-414: The time of the Imperial Circle. In 1559, the Franconian Circle was given jurisdiction over coinage ( Münzaufsicht ) and, in 1572, was the only Circle to issue its own police ordinance. Members of the Franconian Circle included the imperial cities, the prince-bishoprics, the Bailiwick of Franconia of the Teutonic Order and several counties. The Imperial Knights with their tiny territories, of which there

18886-580: The time of year at the end of winter when the last of the meat from the previous year was the Schmalz (lard), or rendered fat, and this is consumed before the start of Lent. The name – Fasnacht – in its different variations is the reference to the time before the coming fasting time of Lent. However, in the Protestant Basel , the Basler Fasnacht astonishingly begins on the Monday after Ash Wednesday. Franconia Franconia ( German : Franken [ˈfʁaŋkn̩] ; East Franconian : Franggn [ˈfrɑŋɡŋ̍] ; Bavarian : Frankn )

19028-435: The tradition of fasting for 40 days before Christmas. In England, especially in the northern counties, there was a custom (now extinct) for poor women to carry around the "Advent images", two dolls dressed to represent Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. A halfpenny coin was expected from every one to whom these were exhibited and bad luck was thought to menace the household not visited by the doll-bearers before Christmas Eve at

19170-426: The weekend before and especially on Rosenmontag , the day before Shrove Tuesday , and sometimes also on Shrove Tuesday ( Faschingsdienstag or Veilchendienstag ) itself in the suburbs of larger carnival cities. In German-speaking countries, there are essentially 2 distinct variations of Carnivals: the Rhenish Carnival in the west of Germany, centred on the cities of Cologne , Mainz and Düsseldorf , and

19312-406: Was a part of the Electoral Rhenish Circle , the area of Coburg belonged to the Upper Saxon Circle and the Heilbronn area to the Swabian Circle . In the 16th century, the College of Franconian Counts was founded to represent the interests of the counts in Franconia. Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both

19454-458: Was a particularly large number in Franconia, were outside the Circle assembly and, until 1806, formed the Franconian Knights Circle ( Fränkischer Ritterkreis ) consisting of six Knights' Cantons . Because the extent of Franconia, already referred to above, is disputed, there were many areas that might be counted as part of Franconia today, that lay outside the Franconian Circle. For example, the area of Aschaffenburg belonged to Electoral Mainz and

19596-475: Was caused by heated-up sedimentary rocks sunk deep into the Earth's crust. While the Fichtel and Franconian Forest can be assigned to the Saxo-Thuringian Zone of Central European Variscan orogeny, the Spessart belongs to the Central German Crystalline Zone. The Münchberg mass is variously attributed to the Saxo-Thuringian or Moldanubian Zones. A substantially larger part of the shallow subsurface in Franconia comprises Mesozoic , unmetamorphosed, unfolded rocks of

19738-416: Was certainly in existence from about 480; the novelty introduced by the Council of Tours of 567 was to order monks to fast every day in the month of December until Christmas. According to J. Neil Alexander , it is "impossible to claim with confidence a credible explanation of the origin of Advent". Associated with Advent as a time of penitence was a period of fasting , known also as St Martin's Lent or

19880-400: Was created and designated as a nature reserve where a variety of birds nest. Another important reserve is the Black Moor in the Rhön , which is one of the most important bog areas in Central Europe. A well known reserve is the Luisenburg Rock Labyrinth at Wunsiedel , a felsenmeer of granite blocks up to several metres across. The establishment of the first Franconian national park in

20022-474: Was directly subordinated to the Reich. Only after that was the former Francia Orientalis considered to be under the sphere of the bishops of Würzburg as the true Franconia, its territory gradually shrinking to its present area. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of parts of present-day Upper and Middle Franconia, who were not under the control of Würzburg, probably also considered themselves to be Franks at that time, and certainly their dialect distinguished them from

20164-432: Was still generally observed. As quoted in the bull of canonisation of St. Louis, the zeal with which he observed this fast was no longer a custom observed by Christians of great piety. It was then limited to the period from the feast of Saint Andrew until Christmas Day, since the solemnity of this apostle was more universal than that of St. Martin. When Pope Urban V ascended the papal seat in 1362, he imposed abstinence on

#860139