New Year's Day Parade

It is very old tradition in Mainz (my home town) to have a New Year's Day parade, which starts at 11:11 am. This is all part of the pre Mardi Gras festivities, which start every year on November 11th at 11:11 am and last until Ashwednesday the next year. The different marching bands and guards are private clubs who all have their own colors, banners and costumes and participate in all kind of different events leading up to the Monday before Ashwednesday, when the Mardi Gras celebration goes to the street as a really big parade.

It was so cold that we had to keep switching the battery in the camera, since it would die on me within taking a few pictures. I would take pictures while Doug was warming up the other battery to get the charge back.


This is a picture of Doug, my dad and me. Here are some of the guards.





There must have been over 20 different guards. It was a very impressive display. By the time it was over we were all slightly frozen and went for Chinese food for lunch, since this is a new year's day tradition for my parents.