Women rule - at least today

kazansky wrote: interesting. but why they cut ties ?

It is a symbolic castration. Men don't have a say today.

Today, on Feb 15th at 11:11 am the Lord Mayor of Cologne Germany officially surrendered the keys of the city hall to a bunch of women, who immediately cut off the ties of the Lord Mayor and his entourage and kissed them afterwards, after which they raided the city hall to continue their "bloody" work inside.
Yes, it is true. 11:11 am was the beginning of street carnival in Cologne. it will last until the midnight between the 20th and 21st and end with the burning of the so-called "Nubbel", an effigy that works as a kind of scapegoat. Someone dressed as a priest will hold a sermon, in which the Nubbel is accused of guiding us into temptation of sinning, with a long register of sins named for which he will be rightfully burned. And today is the day the women rule. No-one wearing a tie will be safe today, which is sometimes an unpleasant surprise for businnes men who are not familiar with the custom. Most foreign companies warn their employees though meanwhile.
The climax of the street carneval will be on monday with the traditional big parade (which of course starts at 11:11 am). It will attract 2 million watchers (yes, 2 million! And Cologne only has a population of 1 million). The parade will need somewhere between 3 and 4 hours to pass.
By the way, today was only the beginning of "street carnival". Carnival itself officially started on Nov 11th last year. No-one beats the people of Cologne when it comes down to carnival.