_____ This photo was taken last night, in the small town of Liestal, along the borders with France, on the outskirts of Basel. The Liestal Carnival, called 'Chienbäse' in Alemannic German, is unique and gathers the locals, but it is also a crowd-puller among fans from all over the world...The show starts at 7.15 pm sharp, and the town's public lights are turned off, leaving the old main street in total darkness.Then, a couple of music bands of dressed-up and masked drum and fife players march slowly down the street, followed by men and women carrying impressive torch lights set in iron baskets (called 'chienbäse') ....Only then come carts carrying bonfires, bigger and bigger in size and gradually, a sort of trance-like atmosphere sets in, with people laughing and yelling, while others are shouting and screaming, protecting themselves from the intense heat and the smoke that invade the air and make many spectators suffocate and cough...It goes on like this for almost two hours, leaving everyone happy with joy and the street with a field of bright embers glowing in the darkness, as the crowd is heading now for the open bars and taverns, catering for parched throats and sweaty foreheads and the many faces dirtied by the soot in the air....A unique experience indeed !
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