DISCOVER [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The past several days all over China there have been sights such as these: The small township of Dietfurt in Bavaria is home to one of the most festive Chinese New Year celebrations anywhere in the world we want to bring your attention to this hot Twitter take: friendly reminder that you don’t get to celebrate lunar new year unless you’re literally from a country that does or if you are invited by someone who is from a country that does — kassy cho (@kassy) February 6, 2019 So there must be many overseas Chinese and descendants of Chinese immigrants or those from other Lunar New Year-celebrating countries living in Dietfurt right actually most of the citizens and participants in these festivities look more or less like this: But this is surely some sort of Belt and Road money-baiting exercise concocted in the past couple of years actually Dietfurt has been celebrating the annual “Chinese Festival” for the past… 91 years The festivities start each year on New Year’s Eve (除夕 chu xi) when children rise before dawn to beat drums in the city center and proclaim “today we are all Chinese” the road is closed to all cars in preparation for the afternoon parade Residents and visitors alike don traditional Chinese apparel to celebrate the occasion The picture below depicts young women marching in a parade wearing half-half costumes — half traditional German clothing One man in the village dresses as the emperor each year The “emperor” can be seen riding in the highest seat during the parade One resident is randomly selected in a gold egg crushing ceremony every year to serve as that year’s “emperor.” In Dietfurtian (and also somewhat “Chinese”?) tradition the emperor then proceeds to a “throne room”(similar to the Hall of Great Harmony in the Imperial Palace) to pray for good weather and abundance in the coming year the residents gather to sing the Chinese national anthem and Bavarian anthem together This small town’s love for China doesn’t only come around during Spring Festival Many of the citizens use chopsticks year round And the city’s official language is even Chinese Dietfurt has a “sister city” partnership with Nanjing and has created a more permanent reminder of their connection with China with memorials such as the one below: historians remain unsure as to the origins of this city’s love for China; however most guess that it likely has roots in the Qing dynasty when the city did business with Chinese traders This picture from 1928 shows Dietfurt’s local residents donning Chinese-style clothing The large scale of the celebrations have left many saying that this town’s Chinese New Year festivities are even more festive than many events in China Is this cultural appropriation or appreciation Feel like we know where Kassy would come down on this but an article on WeChat looking at the phenomenon has mostly been met with pride and happiness among Chinese readers Kind of reminds us of this kerfuffle: newsletter only content delivered straight to you inbox DISCOVER Get weekly top picks and exclusive, newsletter only content delivered straight to you inbox. the pre-Lent festival a bit differently than most German towns In the small town residents have been dressing up like Chinese people and they even have an Emperor.Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A WeigelA Bavarian town with a different take on CarnivalWith cries of "Kille Wau" which is similar to Kölle Alaaf Carnival in the Bavarian town of Dietfurt begins The traditional costume in Bavaria is usually lederhosen or a dirndl What was once a legend has taken on a bigger role in the life of this German town On a day known as "Silly Thursday" the inhabitants of the small town of Dietfurt in Bavaria start the pre-Lent Carnival festival with a parade with over a 1,000 people Almost everyone in town dresses up in Chinese clothes and there is even an Emperor chosen from one of the townspeople The real mayor of Dietfurt is relegated to the position of "Imperial Mandarin" for the week the Bishop of Eichstatt sent his treasurer to Dietfurt to collect taxes The residents locked the city gates and refused to let him enter the town Frustrated he went home told the bishop that the Dietfurters had barricaded themselves in their city "like the Chinese behind their wall." It is not an official "sister city" as Dietfurt only has 6000 inhabitants whereas Nanking has a population of 9 million A tourist official did say however that both cities had a wall And that the wall in Dietfurt was not meant to keep people out anymore Dietfurt has developed quite a relationship with China over the years Chinese tourists brought news of the festival back to China and in 1982 Chinese radio and television made a documentary about some peculiar Germans who dressed up in Chinese costumes there is a Bavarian-Chinese Culture Exchange Festival during summer with lectures When the tourist office spokeswoman in Dietfurt was asked whether local citizens dressing up in Chinese costumes and painting their faces yellow was considered racist by Chinese visitors she said that it was not in any way meant to be harmful She said that many Chinese visitors found the painting of faces amusing but not insulting She said people in Dietfuhrt identify with Chinese culture "Empress DiMucki" and "Emperor DaKaRe" welcome visitors to the Chinese Carnival which was attended by some 25,000 people last year.  (Karl Donauer) Germany -- Defying racism allegations and threats the quiet German town of Dietfurt is set to stage its annual Chinese Carnival on Feb complete with lantern decorations and imperial costumes But they will not be celebrating Lunar New Year The townspeople will instead be commemorating an act of rebellion against authority Dietfurt limestone Gala by Franken-Schotter comes in various shades from beige to cream white depending on the finish Rough finishes give the stone a monolithic look and excellent slip resistance making it ideal for exterior pavers Large panel sizes are achievable making design options limitless Dietfurt limestone flooring panels can be used for exterior flooring panels in any climatic condition including freeze-thaw Franken-Schotter's Dietfurt limestone Gala is a natural stone that formed 150 million years ago The stone exhibits prehistoric fossils such as ammonites and belemnites that make each individual piece unique The stone can also be used for interiors and facades making it easy for designers to bring the stone inside and outside with seamless transitions Product_Overview-Dietfurt_Dolomite-Franken-Schotter-2020 Product_Overview-Garden_Landscaping-Franken-Schotter If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Fifteen minutes and one coffee later I’m tiptoeing down the icy front steps, following my ears toward the booms. After a few turns, there they are: a motley crew of thirty bedraggled clowns shuffling toward me like zombies. Between them they’re heaving a noise cannon, a marching band’s worth of instrum… Subscribe to Narratively to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Photos by Hilda HoyDawn is just beginning to tinge the horizon blue when a cannon blast shatters the quiet of the small Bavarian town pushing aside the paper garlands of yellow Chinaman figures to gaze blearily at the wintry landscape \u201CBavarian China\u201D and \u201CTown of the Seven Valleys.\u201D The apartment I\u2019ve rented for the week looks out onto one of those valleys an expanse of untrodden snow fading into a dark hollow cloaked with bone-chilling mist Were it not for the town\u2019s pride and joy the annual Bavarian China parade taking place this afternoon I can\u2019t imagine any reason I\u2019d ever come here Fifteen minutes and one coffee later I\u2019m tiptoeing down the icy front steps there they are: a motley crew of thirty bedraggled clowns shuffling toward me like zombies Between them they\u2019re heaving a noise cannon a marching band\u2019s worth of instrum\u2026 the south German town of Dietfurt will be transformed into a cross between a provincial production of The Mikado and something out of Marco Polo’s journals as it celebrates the Chinesenfasching Many of its 6,000 residents will put on drooping false moustaches or conical hats as dragons and transvestites in geisha make-up parade through the streets Several German towns host Karl May-Festspiele festivals, where locals as ApachesALAMYAt a time when British students cannot wear a sombrero without being castigated for cultural appropriation Dietfurt has carried on staging a rather old-fashioned idea of Far Eastern culture without obviously causing much upset