Saturday, February 22, 2014

Mardi Gras costumes censored -- in Germany

From our People are People series.

We thought we had traded the hard hitting "you go to hell!" - "no, you do!" world of believers for a blander but slightly more relaxed and tolerant version in Germany.

Alas, it was not to be. In Wiesbaden near Frankfurt, Germany, kindergarteners attending a protestant run (very likely government funded) kindergarten are not allowed to show up in the following costumes for Mardi Gras:

1) Witches
2) Wizards
3) Devils

and similar. The pastor felt that such pagan displays run against the good Christian values of his parish.

One of the press reports on the web came with reader comments covering the spectrum from 'good, kids need to be taught our Christian values' to 'how stuck up can you be?'

However, just like in the U.S., Lutherans and other protestants are not known for a fondness for the frivolous.

Carnival and its ultimate debauchery on Mardi Gras are a very Catholic phenomenon.

Maybe the good pastor should instruct his flock not to wear any costumes, thus avoiding to take sides and having to figure out what constitutes a witch.

After all, the latter is a task churches have both relished in and struggled with for many centuries, right?

Let's face it: some kids are just little devils, costume or no costume.

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