Fasching

Germany is big into celebrating Carnival/Mardi Gras. Just like in New Orleans, people dress up (even at the stock exchange) and there are a lot of parades. But German Fasching is also a time for political satire, where this year's floats addressed issues like the pope's reinstatement of a holocaust denier, Chancellor Merkel's economic bailout package, and Obama's election.
I really like Carnival in Southwest Germany, where I'm from. There are parades featuring the traditional costumes of that area, which use handcarved wooden masks. They date back to the Baroque period in the 17th century and you can see the Italian influence (think of the Venetian masks). The costumes are absolutely beautiful and include a lot of (heavy!) bells to make noise. There are cute costumes and scary witches.