The Alemannic Fastnacht is also taking place in Venezuela these days. People in Jokili costumes parade through the community of Colonia Tovar, about 70 kilometers west of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, this weekend. The jester figures are an old carnival custom in Endingen am Kaiserstuhl in the south-west of Baden-Württemberg.
The descendants of Germans from the Kaiserstuhl who immigrated in the 19th century live in Colonia Tovar. Half-timbered houses characterize the cityscape, which is unusual for South America. According to a report in the Venezuelan newspaper “El Universal”, the Jokili have been relocating to Colonia Tovar for more than 40 years.
The carnival celebrations include the election of a queen. In the words of Mayor Darwin Cáceres, it is about cultivating the culture and traditions of “Caribbean Germany”.
