🎉February 12, 2026 is Weiberfastnacht which is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. In English it's often called "Fat Thursday". It is also the day when Karneval (or Fasching or Fastnacht) takes to the streets.
Weiberfastnacht means "women's carnival" and can also go by Weiberfasching, Fettdonnerstag, Wieverfastelovend, or Schmotziger Dunschtig, depending on region and dialect.
Karneval in Beuel. Photo: By Martin van Baal - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67345556
🥞 Schmotziger Dunschtig or Schmutziger Donnerstag has nothing to do with schmutzig meaning 'dirty'. It comes from the Alemannic dialect where Schmotz means Schmalz or lard, fat. And that also goes well with the English "Fat Thursday". What it means for you is that you can and should indulge in everything buttery and made with fat, like donuts; which obviously also go by many different names/spellings.
✌️So, what happens on this day other than eating donuts? It's basically the day when women are in charge.
During the Middle Ages, when women had no political (or any other) power, this was the day when they did.
In Beuel in Bonn, women take over the town hall, in Cologne ✂️they cut off men's ties as a symbol of their power. Though the men receive a 💋 "Bützchen" (a peck on the cheek) to make up for their lost tie. There are plenty of regional differences, so you might want to check with locals before you start cutting off ties in a city other than Cologne.
Women cut off a man's tie during Storming of the Rathaus Fasching event in Bitburg.
🎉The Weiberfastnacht also marks the transition from the session carnival (in door events with speeches, music, dance performances) to the street carnival. While there usually aren't any parades (like on Rose Monday), cities where Weiberfastnacht is celebrated do have outdoor events like music. Dressed up women roam the streets, cutting off ties, singing, dancing, eating sweets, stopping by bars, and having a grand ole time.
Schmutziger Donnerstag in Konstanz (Swabia). Photo: Von Ulitblaetz - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40211897
❌If you need any business conducted during Carnival week you might be out of luck: most work seizes around noon on Weiberfastnacht (where it's celebrated which is mostly in the west and south-west of Germany).
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