Vastelaovend Maastricht

Maastricht is the capital of the province Limburg, in the very south of Holland. It has a very old and picturesque city center, and has been inhabited since before the time of the Romans, including an ancient settlement of Celts.

It is known for its quiet squares, fine shopping and cafe culture.
You would never know this on Sunday.

Maastricht is also home to probably the largest Carnival celebration in the Netherlands. Everyone and I mean everyone dressed up in wild and fanciful costumes, many create floats and wagons (with built in taps for kegs) , everyone has noisemakers and bags of confetti and there is a parade that winds through the narrow stone streets and lasts many hours.

I was mostly surprised at the number of costumes! Halloween can get pretty crazy in the US, but that is mostly confined to parties, with the exception of a few larger parades. But in Maastricht, someone not in some kind of costume stood out like a sore thumb. There were tons of "crews" all in matching outfits. Most looked either rented, or lovingly hand made. They were quite elaborate.

There were lots of huge dresses, people in costumes from different cultures (many geishas, arabs, French royalty, but the only "Americans" I saw were badly dressed native Americans.), and lots and lots of marching bands, most of whom sounded like they met the day before for practice. 

The thing that struck me the most was how 'local' it seemed. Not a single "sponsored by Corporation A" or business oriented costume in sight. Apparently you can just sign up, and it is free. There were lots of elaborate sets, but they were all obviously lovingly hand made by people who just want to be involved. It was just to have fun, and show off you awesome costume, and maybe pull out that old french horn from 'middelbareschool'. Tons of kids being pushed in wildly decorated strollers, happy and laughing families. It just felt authentic. I loved it. 

It was also fun to see more of my new home. We drove through parts of the Netherlands that I haven't seen. It was also fun to hear the accents change as we drove south. Limburgians have a very distinct dialect, that even G has trouble understanding. 

It was an awesome day with two handsome gentleman. I really want to come back to Maastricht and enjoy the beautiful and ancient architecture without blaring horns and accordion "oompah" music. But no matter what,  I am seriously considering joining the parade next time!

by Bjorn Janssen