Fool's Guilds and the Narrensprung: How Fasnet Tradition Is Organized
The fool's guild, or Narrenzunft, is the foundation of Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet, which is also known as Fastnacht. The tradition is alive in southwestern Germany, Switzerland and neighboring regions. If you have ever watched a Fasnet parade, you may have wondered who is behind it. In Fasnet-Kompass, an independent topic portal about Fasnet tradition and Guggenmusik, this text gives an overview of how Fasnet is organized.
What Is a Fool's Guild?
A fool's guild is a guild or club that looks after the local Fasnet tradition. It takes care of the figures, garments and customs that give each town's Fasnet its character. The term Narrenverein, or fool's club, is also common. Every guild devotes itself to its own customs.
The name therefore refers to the organization and not to Fasnet itself. Fasnet is the festive season, and the guild is the group that keeps the tradition going. For us at Fasnet-Kompass, the guild is the natural starting point for describing the tradition as a whole.
The Narrensprung: What Does the Parade Look Like?
In the Narrensprung, a guild's figures move through the streets, often accompanied by bells and music. Spectators usually meet Fasnet in exactly this form, so the parade is the public part of the tradition. It is where the guild shows in the street the figures it looks after all year long.
The parade is thus the most visible side of guild life. If you are experiencing Fasnet for the first time, view the figures and garments also as an expression of local tradition.
Shared Structures and Guild Meetings
Many guilds in Baden-Wuerttemberg belong to the Association of Swabian-Alemannic Fool's Guilds, VSAN for short. It was founded in Villingen on November 16, 1924, and started out with 13 guilds. This kind of cooperation has a long history. A local guild can therefore be independent and still belong to a larger network.
Gatherings of several guilds are called Narrentreffen. They attract many groups from the region and, alongside the VSAN, show how the guilds are connected. A guild thus keeps up its tradition in exchange with other guilds.
Volunteer Work as the Basis
The work of the guilds rests to a large extent on volunteers. That commitment contributes a great deal to preserving and maintaining Fasnet tradition with its figures, garments and customs.
Summary
The fool's guild looks after figures, garments and customs that become visible in the street during the Narrensprung. The VSAN and the Narrentreffen link the individual guilds into a larger network. Much of it is carried by volunteers. You will find more texts on Fasnet tradition and Guggenmusik in Fasnet-Kompass.