Feature: Cologne's zest for carnival parade defies bad weather, security challenges

Few people show up on the street of Germany's Cologne city at 8 a.m. on Monday when it is raining and a storm is believed to be on its way.

Music has been turned on and the stages set along the streets surrounding the landmark Cologne Cathedral, which are supposed to host a grand parade on the Rosy Monday, the peak of a carnival considered as the "fifth season" for local people. Yet many are still wondering whether the parade will take place as scheduled.

They have good reasons to doubt it. Quite a few cities including Mainz, Duesseldorf have announced their decision to cancel the parades due to the forecast of bad weather. Some people are concerned that the huge gathering in Cologne where hundreds of sexual assault cases on New Year's Eve were reported may pose too serious a challenge for local police.

The sky cleared at around 10 a.m. local time when the parade started. People in costume gradually swarmed by the fences along the streets.

Juergen Mathies, police president of Cologne, told Xinhua that the police are experienced and have evaluated the security situation in the city. The police in Cologne have raised their sense of vigilance to prevent sexual assault cases from reoccurring. "My main goal is to make sure people from the city and hundreds of thousands of visitors feel safe here."

Katia, a 20-year-old college girl from Bielefeld city showed her confidence in the police. "We have learned from what happened on Year's Eve and we are not opposed to the carnival," she told Xinhua.

The carnival "plays an outstanding role in the life of this city," said a press release by Cologne Tourism office. Britta Heidemann, a famous epee fencer and Olympic gold medallist, has grown up in Cologne. The carnival is an occasion that she will not miss.

"When I was small, it was all about candies and I enjoyed the music and outfits," she said.

Cologne has a long history of carnival celebration, which has been considered as an opportunity for people to take "a short holiday from the routines of life."

Although people in other places of Germany also celebrate carnivals, people in Cologne just celebrate "a bit more" than in other places, said the press release.

Henriette Reker, mayor of Cologne, mentioned that the Rosy Monday this year happens to be the first day of the Chinese lunar new year. In an interview with Xinhua, she extended sincere greetings to Beijing, the sister city of Cologne. "Good luck for the year of Monkey," she said. "I was born in the Year of Monkey and am looking forward to pleasant surprises for the new year."

The Rosy Monday parade this year is a little different because of the unpleasant weather, said Josef Sommer, Chief Executive Officer of Cologne Tourist Board. "But we are very proud and glad that Rosy Monday parade can take place as usual."

"It's a highlight on the calender. Almost everybody in the city is attached to carnival somehow," Sommer said. "It's an extra season that people are waiting for, looking forward and then celebrating and having a lot of fun." Enditem