Children’s Carnival - The perfect costume

What is Carnival anyway?

Fasnacht or Carnival is the name given to the days before Lent, the 40-day Christian fasting period leading up to Easter. During the Middle Ages, the aim was to use up all forbidden foods so as not to waste them during Lent. Carnival was then celebrated as one last lavish feast where people gorged themselves and danced one last time before Lent.

In some regions, it is traditional to wear scary masks during Carnival to drive away the winter spirits and welcome in spring.

Homemade Carnival costumes

Carnival is approaching and it is once again time to consider which costume to wear this year.

The perfect costume

Whether it's the fifth time you’ve taken the kids to Carnival or the first, finding the right costume can be difficult - and when several children all want something different, it gets even more complicated. That’s why we’ve put together a few costume ideas that you can quite easily make yourself. A homemade costume makes Fasnacht even more unique for everyone!

Astronaut

Material needed:

• Aluminum foil
• Bicycle or skateboard helmet
• String
• Two large, empty PET bottles
• Silver spray paint
• Red & yellow felt
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• White clothes
• Rubber boots
• Knitting needle
• Lighter

1. Wrap the bicycle helmet and the rubber boots in aluminum foil.
2. Spray the PET bottles with silver paint and leave to dry.
3. Meanwhile, cut two flames out of the felt and glue the pieces together to make two multi-colored flames.
4. Glue the two PET bottles together and carefully make a hole in the bottom of each bottle with a heated knitting needle.
5. Pull two pieces of string through the holes and knot them so that the bottles can be carried like a backpack.
6. Glue the flames to the openings of the bottles, which should point towards the ground.

You can find more information about this costume here.

Sheep

Material needed:

• Long white T-shirt
• Hairband
• Cotton wool balls
• Glue gun
• Black fabric
• Fabric scissors
• Black leggings
• Black long-sleeved sweatshirt

1. Cut off the sleeves of the white t-shirt with the fabric scissors.
2. Glue cotton wool balls all over the T-shirt with the glue gun.
3. Cut two ears out of the black fabric and cover one side with cotton wool balls.
4. Glue the ears onto the headband.
5. Wear black leggings and a long-sleeved sweatshirt under the white T-shirt.

Unicorn

Material needed:

• Colored skirt
• Hairband
• Paper
• Acrylic paint
• Glue gun
• Glitter
• Optional children’s make-up

1. Make a paper horn and paint and decorate it as you like.
2. Let the horn dry completely and then glue it to the hairband using the glue gun.
3. Only apply make-up after putting the costume on.

Jellyfish

Material needed:

• Blue or purple sun hat
• Blue or purple crepe paper
• Glue gun
• Black and white paper
• Scissors

1. Cut out about 20 strips of crepe paper. You can also use other colors or a mix.
2. Glue the strips to the bottom of the hat using the glue gun.
3. Make two eyes out of the black and white paper and glue them to the front of the hat.

You can find more information about this costume  here.

Strawberry

Material needed:

• Red dress
• Yellow fabric
• Green fabric
• Fabric scissors
• Green hairband
• Green or white leggings
• Glue gun
  
  
• Cut 4 cm drops out of the yellow fabric and glue them to the red dress using the glue gun.
• Cut 4 leaves out of the green fabric and attach them to the hairband using the glue gun.

You can find more information about this costume  here.

Make-up & Masks

Another option is to focus on make-up. You can also use watercolor paints instead of children’s make-up. It is important to grease the child’s face beforehand so that the paint lasts. Of course, the costumes above can also be supplemented with make-up. There are many possibilities with make-up - we have put together a few ideas here too:

• Butterfly
• Lion or tiger
• Cat or dog
• Bat
• Rabbit
• Deer
• Pirate
• Giraffe
• Donkey

Masks can also be used for most of these ideas. Paper plates can be painted and cut to size. The masks can be attached with elastic bands.

Weatherproof clothing

In February, the weather can often be very unpredictable. Therefore, it is important to check the weather forecast and dress yourself and the children accordingly. Tights or stockings and long-sleeved shirts can provide an extra warm layer underneath the costume. Don’t forget gloves on cold days. It also makes sense to provide earmuffs for the children to protect against the cold, but also against loud music.

Carnival parades

Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Spass beim Basteln und eine grossartige Fasnachtszeit. 😊