Why the people of Cologne are celebrating their anniversary a year too early

The story is often told like this: In 1823, a few notables got together, founded the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee - and set about organizing the first Shrove Monday procession in history. 1823 is the magic number that now serves as the basis for all kinds of anniversary celebrations.

It is historically correct that on February 10, 1823, a Shrove Monday parade actually took place. In this respect, the people of Cologne can confidently celebrate their anniversary. However, in 1823 there was still no official festival committee, which is considered proof of the hour of birth of the "organized carnival". Although this is claimed in the chronicles of the committee, in countless books and on all relevant websites, it is simply wrong. This is proven by a document from the Cologne Historical Archive.

"It was probably the case that in 1823 a few gentlemen got together in a relaxed group to set up the first carnival procession," says Max Plassmann, the responsible department head of the archive. "It was only when people wanted to repeat the parade in 1824 because it was so successful that the committee was founded." Because in order to turn a one-off parade into a tradition, you needed fixed organizational structures - and you had to raise money.

The minutes of the founding meeting of the "Festordnungenden Comités" are dated January 19, 1824. Among other things, they say: "Since it seems necessary to entrust the deliberations on the festival regulations to a narrower committee, a majority of votes will favor that thirteen councilors form the Committee fondé de plein pouvoir should be put together for all celebrations, and that seven of these committee councils can make a binding decision."

According to archivist Plassmann, this is the crucial passage that proves “that a general assembly of everyone who had something to do with carnival was formed here. And she decides to set up the festival committee that will do the actual organizational work”.

The minutes of the meeting belong to the estate of the former Cologne District President Heinrich von Wittgenstein (1797 to 1869). He was a promoter of the carnival and one of the founders of the festival committee. This estate has often been used as a source for books on carnival history, says Plassmann.

He finds it all the more astonishing that the false claim that the Festival Committee was founded in 1823 persists so stubbornly. The legend was spread as early as 1973, on the 150th anniversary; later chroniclers apparently continued to write them. Notes from the archivists, but please take a closer look, were always ignored, says Plassmann: "Nobody ever wanted to hear that."

One reason for the lax handling of historical sources: Plassmann explains that it is mostly laypeople from the ranks of the carnival societies who research the carnival. To make matters worse, "the documents are scattered in different archives". The archivist says that there is definitely a need for a scientific review - and not just in relation to the founding of the organized carnival.

"It would definitely be worthwhile to look at the crisis years." Around the 1920s, when the Rhineland was occupied by the Allies and the official carnival often did not take place. "It would also be interesting to find out who drove the carnival forward - and who stood in its way." Because a legend like the founding date is also the claim that the Cologne carnival is a continuous success story.

But – as the saying goes in the city, which also prides itself on being in possession of the bones of the three kings: the story doesn't have to be true, it has to be beautiful. In addition, next year, on the occasion of the founding of the festival committee on January 19, 1824, you can celebrate "200 years of organized carnival" again.

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