Rosenmontag
| Rosenmontag | |
|---|---|
Rosenmontag 2006 in Duesseldorf | |
| Significance | Highlight of Karneval before Lent |
| Date | Monday before Ash Wednesday |
| 2024 date | 12 February |
| 2025 date | 3 March |
| 2026 date | 16 February |
| 2027 date | 8 February |
| Frequency | annual |
Rosenmontag (German: [ˌʁoːznˈ̩moːntaːk] ⓘ, English: Rose-Monday) is the highlight of the German Karneval (carnival), and takes place on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras, though celebrated on Fat Tuesday, is a similar event. Rosenmontag is celebrated in German-speaking countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium (Eupen, Kelmis), but most heavily in the carnival strongholds which include the Rhineland, especially in Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen and Mainz. In contrast to Germany, in Austria, the highlight of the carnival is not Rosenmontag, but Shrove Tuesday.
The name for the carnival comes from the German dialect word roose meaning "frolic" and Montag meaning Monday.