Political satire is a traditional element to Germany's Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) carnival parade and the past 12 months have provided rich material for the float designers. From the ascension of Donald Trump to US Presidency, to the rise of the populist far-right Europe, the UK's Brexit vote and Germany's upcoming elections, all have been made into life size effigy's and were paraded down Germany's streets on 27 February.
A carnival float depicting British Prime Minister Theresa May in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFP
Held on Shrove Monday, two days before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent, Rose Monday celebrations usually include dressing up in carnival attire, dancing and gigantic float parades. Every town in the Karneval areas boasts at least one parade with floats making fun of the current political themes. In this gallery, IBTimeUK presents some of the best pictures of political floats during carnival parades across Germany:
A carnival float of Donald Trump and the Statue of Liberty in DuesseldorfWolfgang Rattay/ReutersA float showing US president Donald Trump and the Statue of Liberty in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFPA float featuring US President Donald Trump drives in MainzThomas Lohnes/Getty ImagesA carnival float depicting (L to R) US President Donald Trump, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, Dutch MP Geert Wilders and Adolf Hitler with blond hair in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFPA carnival float depicting German chancellor Angela Merkel as a mammoth and her rival in the upcoming elections Martin Schulz in DuesseldorfIna Fassbender/AFPA carnival float depicting Social Democrat chancellor candidate Martin Schulz beeing inflated by poll ratings in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFPA carnival float featuring the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sitting at a lawnmower in MainzThomas Lohnes/Getty ImagesA carnival float depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFPA carnival float with a caricature mocking the Anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in DuesseldorfWolfgang Rattay/ReutersA carnival float featuring the 'Brexit', Great Britain and the relation to the EU in MainzThomas Lohnes/Getty ImagesA man looks at a carnival float depicting a shark reading 'Xenophobia' in DuesseldorfPatrik Stollarz/AFPA carnival float is seen in CologneThilo Schmuelgen/ReutersChildren wearing carnival uniform celebrate during the Rose Monday parade in CologneThilo Schmuelgen/ReutersA dance group during the "Rosenmontag", Rose Monday parade in CologneThilo Schmuelgen/ReutersWomen dressed as clowns celebrate the annual Rose Monday parade in MainzThomas Lohnes/Getty ImagesPeople taking part in 'Jeck' carnival wait for the annual Rose Monday parade in DusseldorfLukas Schulze/Getty Images
