Buchen
Various market stalls, a musical stage program, as well as a wide-ranging supporting program, invite visitors to stroll around and enjoy themselves.
Join the free city tour through Buchen's old town and look forward to Christmas stories from our experienced tour guides. Afterwards, a small surprise awaits you!
In Buchen, Carnival lives on in a form that is now rarely experienced: original, mysterious, and full of centuries-old customs. The historic Gänsmarsch is one of the most impressive Carnival processions in the Odenwald and captivates numerous visitors every year. One of the central figures is the Pea Straw Bear, who is led through the streets on long ropes. With his embraces, he deliberately seeks closeness to the audience and makes Carnival immediately tangible. The procession is led by the Huddelbätzen: silent figures in tattered costumes, with small bells hanging from their scraps of fabric. Even from afar, their many-voiced jingling announces the procession. Particularly impressive are the masked, silent figures who denounce grievances and peculiarities of city life with gestures and placards - a vivid form of historical social criticism. Long before the actual Gänsmarsch, the Müller make their way through the town. They were once considered “unclean” and had to live outside the city walls - their role recalls old social orders and exclusion. One of the most unusual customs is also sitting on a rotating wheel that is pulled through the town. The Gänsmarsch in Buchen is far more than a Carnival procession: it is a living piece of cultural history, an intense experience for all the senses, and an absolute must-see highlight of Carnival on the Bergstraße and in the Odenwald.
