Confetti rain: paper is in the air

The fifth season is not only celebrated differently depending on the region, there are also different names for the foolish time: Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval – to name just the best known.

Regardless of geography and naming – the origin of the merry goings-on is identical. In all probability, carnival derives from the Middle Latin “carne levare” (to take away meat). Before everything is over on Ash Wednesday and the six-week Lent until Easter begins, the carnival season is a time of extravagant living and celebrating, including parades through the towns and villages. And where parades take place, one thing is certainly not missing: confetti!

However, there are always reports of confetti bans. The carnival stronghold of Cologne bans the party good in many halls because of the danger of slipping and staining on the floor. In Stuttgart, Swabia, confetti is banned to avoid littering.

Confetti from Brandenburg?

The German entrepreneur Paul Demuth claims to have invented confetti in 1887 after a trip to Italy. At any rate, the Italian origin can be historically proven: At that time, carnival participants threw confectionery at each other. The “confetti” – in the plural also “confetto” – usually consisted of sugared almonds, nuts and imitations of ice cream.

So it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that the master bookbinder from Grünheide in Brandenburg came up with the idea of replacing confectionery with colourful paper snippets over 130 years ago. However, he did not register a patent for the idea.

Paul Demuth published joke postcards and decorative articles and ran a company selling jewellery. At over 70 years of age, he still had his wits about him: he invented paper streamers. They were so popular that the Berlin police warned against their use in road traffic as early as 1887.

How is confetti made?

Confetti can be made on your own with the punch. A variant that is rather less recommended for the decoration of a complete carnival procession. Another possibility: in the paper industry, confetti is a waste product from the perforation of continuous paper, but also not in sufficient quantity to satisfy demand.

In fact, there are therefore confetti factories – not many, but some. The carnival enthusiast Hans Rudolf Streiff, for example, runs the only confetti factory in Switzerland: around 200 tonnes of paper scraps are produced there every year. The video shows the confetti machine in action and explains how the colourful paper is made. Almost in the last work step, it is ionised to discharge the electrostatics. Otherwise, the confetti would be negatively charged and would literally “stick”.

Slow-Fall-Confetti

In addition to the classic confetti made of paper, there is also so-called slow-fall confetti. This special confetti is typically used for a confetti shower and also for confetti cannons. Slow-falling confetti stays in the air up to ten times longer, and lightweight materials such as tissue paper or foil are used for this purpose.

Start of the street parades

Some love the fifth season, others can safely do without it. In any case, today is the official start of the street parades. And who would have thought it, the names differ from region to region: Schwerdonnerstag, Schmutziger Donnerstag, Wieverfastelovend, Weiberfastnacht, …

There are also different traditions on this special day. Probably the best known: men have to watch out! It could well happen that their tie is cut off and they are compensated with a little kiss. With or without confetti: Ash Wednesday is on 6 March and the colourful hustle and bustle comes to an end – until next year it’s Helau and Alaaf again.