November 11. Then you probably quickly think of lanterns, singing children and candy. But November 11 is also the day that the new carnival season starts and a new Prince Carnival is chosen. What does that involve?
In Drenthe, (mainly) Southeast Drenthe celebrates carnival. There are five associations in the municipality of Emmen that start a new season around this time. However, they do not all do this at the same time. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to visit each other,” says board member Wim Bos of De Veentrappers from Zwartemeer. De Veentrappers will hold a party evening in two weeks and immediately celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.
Most associations kick off around November 11, because carnival has something to do with the number eleven. Eleven refers to the crazy number and the number of members of ‘the council of eleven’. ‘t Stiekelzwien from Barger-Campascuum, among others, is kicking off today. Highlights of the evening are the resignation of the old prince – which always happens in a fun way – and the appointment of a new Prince Carnival.
The appointment of a new prince is done slightly differently at each association. In Zwartemeer, the current prince must appoint a new one, with the only condition being that the new lord comes from the village. “That is quite unique,” says Wim Bos of the board. “Because the chance that you will become one is very small this way.”
In Barger-Compascuum, the new prince of ‘t Stiekelzwien comes from the council of eleven. That makes the choice more limited. Moreover, someone who has already been a prince once may not perform this task again. The Flintfest association from Barger-Oosterveld is looking for a successor together with the retiring prince.