A Swiss Carnival.... by KarmaSong
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Description
 This photo was taken last Sunday, as I was in the small town of Liestal ( Switzerland ) which homes one of the most peculiar and fascinating Carnivals I've ever heard of. When night comes, all the city lights are turned off and only then does a two-hour procession begin, with some of the town's citizens marching through the darkness down the main street and carrying burning wooden brooms on their shoulders, followed by bigger and bigger charriots containing incandescent logs which culminates into a sort of fire orgy where the heat of the air is unbearable to the spectators whenever the men take a short break from pulling those huge handcarts ablaze with hundreds of burning logs in them...Those glowing charriots and torches symbolize the sun that breaks the darkness of winter and probably refer to the Celtic way of celebrating the end of the winter season, such as with the spring-time festival of Beltaine , during which the farmers and shepherds drove the livestock between huge bonfires, to protect them from evil spirits and to mark the beginning of the season of Light.  If you want to get the feel of what this fantastic Carnival is about, you can just click here.  ...Thank you very much for your recent comments and support. Have a nice forthcoming week-end !
Comments (36)
BorisB
What an impressive atmosphere!!
gaius
Une photo du feu de dieu !!! Sérieusement, c'est absolument superbe et, sur le plan technique, une réussite impressionnante. L'ambiance que, du coup, on imagine aisément est parfaitement rendue ; un très grand bravo.
Cyve
Wonderful scene!!!
magnus073
Jean-Luc, This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating photos I've seen in a long time. I couldn't even begin to imagine a carnival like this existing. It must be a thrill to be there in person to witness the ceremony. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing bit of their culture with us.
jayfar
Sounds and looks like great fun.
virginiese
Impressionnant ce carnaval ! Ca doit faire peur tout de même de voir des flammes de plus en plus hautes et chaudes ! Je me rappelle que tu avais déja mis une photo sur ce sujet dans ta galerie et j'ai déja trouvé cet événement fascinant! Bravo pour cette capture réussie bien que difficile !
MagikUnicorn
Merci pour les info, ça l'air d'être toute un joli festival :)
Hendesse
Fantastic shot. I like the mood you've captured.
hipps13
fun and exciting smiles warm hugs, Linda
alanwilliams
a beautifully dramatic shot
adrie
Great photoshot my friend.
Jean_C
Une tradition passionnante, et une image qui est absolument magnifique!
Leije
La photo est très impressionnante, cette procession doit être incroyable à voir !
Flint_Hawk
Amazing capture!
FredNunes
Superb exposure on this! Great job my friend!
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God Bless.
MarciaGomes
Incrível foto meu amigo é impressionante a cerimonia com o fogo eu vi o vídeo é assustador todo aquele fogo e as pessoas perto ,será que ninguém se queima.++++++++5
flavia49
wonderful work
sandra46
AMAZING IMAGE! WE ALSO HAD CARNIVALS FOR BELTANE (FROM VERONA WESTWARD) AS WELL AS REITIA, A VENETKEN GODDESS, THEY HAD WHEELS OF FIRE THROWN DOWN THE SLOPE OF A MOUNTAIN.
feeline68120
wow une photo tres bien prise bravo bravo c'est geant :) sublime
midnightmum
Yes it was a wonderful video, it would have been hard to tell the story in one picture. Thanks for sharing.
Nonsolum
Eh bien voilà nous y sommes : après les clowneries de certains, de quoi réchauffer les âmes (fussent-elles sensibles). En tous les cas bien vu, bien déclenché ! Si tu vas à RioOOOoo... :-D
bebert
impressionnant du point de vue technique.
sharky_
They sure light up the place with fire. Hot Captures. Aloha
mgtcs
Fantastic capture Jean-Luc, precious colors, fantastic timing! Congratulations!
rainbows
A beautiful capture to celebrate the coming of the light, dear Jean-Luc. Superb work. Hugs and Bisous. Di. xx
tommorules
Looks like a great experience!
ragouc
Really good shot.
junge1
This is a very nice capture Jean-Luc, but the video really demonstrates what you are talking about. Turning the lights out makes it more dramatic, but it is also very scary. When those big chariots get pulled through the arch in the house the flames lick up the outside walls. This would never be permitted in the US, and here in the Southwest (Arizona) the fire danger is so high that no fire works of any size are permitted during 4th of July or for New Years Eve celebrations. Despite the fact that the houses here look solid, they are so flimsy, with wooden framing, that it wouldn't take much to create a fire. The masks and the whole procession in the carnival look like this must have begun way back, probably centuries ago. It would be really something to see in person. It also looked as if the spectators were well fortified with drink. A great unusual and historical event well captured!
Darkwish
Amazing shot! Really cool!