50. Gottfried Keller, The Merrymaking begins at dawn on Shrove Tuesday

[Note: Permission to quote from Gottfried Keller's book was granted to me on May 2, 2013 from Alma Books / Alma Classics, London House, 243-253 Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2LL, United Kingdom.]

Excerpt from Chapter 13

The Carnival Play

by Gottfried Keller

The dawn of the momentous, eagerly-longed-for day came, bringing the loveliest morning;  the sky was bright and cloudless, and this February it was already so warm that the trees were in bud and the meadows were growing green.  At sunrise, just as the white horse was standing beside the sparkling little river being washed, there was the sound of Alpine horns and cow-bells coming down through the village, and a procession of more than a hundred magnificent cows, wearing garlands and bells, came along, accompanied by a great crowd of young men and girls, going up the valley into the villages, giving the impression of a ceremonial escorting of the cattle to their mountain pasturage.   The people had only needed to don their ancient traditional Sunday costume, excluding any novelties that had come into use, and with the addition of some choice ornaments belonging to parents or grandparents, to look perfectly splendid and very picturesque... 

Then they stopped in front of our house and the mill next door, and as they greeted each other, and vociferously called for drinks, there was a sudden joyous confusion of singing, shouting and laughter, and we got up from the abundant breakfast..   Quickly we went into the crowd with the wine jars and number of glasses that had been put ready beforehand, my uncle and his wife coming after with great baskets full of the local confectionery.   This preliminary merrymaking, far from being an indication that everybody would be tired out very early, was the sure herald of a long day of pleasure... My aunt inspected the beautiful cattle and pronounced them to be fine, stroked and softly scratched famous cows that were well known to her, and cracked a thousand jokes with the young people;  my uncle poured out wine incessantly... 

In the middle of the crowd we ran into the people from the mill who had attacked the enemy from the other side, led by the young miller who, in the person of an armour-clad knight, was ponderously clattering around, and allowing his ancient iron garment to be looked at and fingered with respectful veneration.   

At last, however, the procession moved on.. Outside the village, we saw masses of bright, glittering colour on all sides, moving towards us, and [in] a quarter of an hour, we came to a tavern at a cross-roads... In the next village... came a procession with drum and fife, bearing the Hat on the pole, to proclaim the insulting law in the surrounding neighbourhood.   For this was the beauty of it all, that none of the theatrical limitations were kept to, they did not aim at surprise, but went about freely hither and thither, as they might in real life, and met, as if of their own accord, where the action was to take place.  There was something to see and laugh at everywhere, though at the same time, where the serious acting was going on, everybody turned up and was reverently attentive.   

Our procession had already grown considerably, augmented further by the addition of a number of men on horseback, and pedestrians too, all belonging to the knightly retinue.  

[excerpts from pp. 265-267]