page_title: Schützenfest
section_title: Germany
hierarchical_section_title: Schützenfest / Germany
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Titel: Das Bremer Schützen- und Volksfest zu Oberneuland, Holzstich-Illustration von 1846. Wurde von der in Leipzig erscheinenden Illustrirte Zeitung zur Illustrierung eines Berichts über das Bremer Schützen- und Volksfest zu Oberneuland verwendet, das im Jahr 1846 in Oberneuland bei Bremen stattfand.
context_page_description: A Schützenfest is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
  At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shooting abilities, for example by shooting at a wooden representation of an eagle. The winner of the competition becomes the Schützenkönig until the next year's competition.
  The commercially-organized Schützenfest of Hanover, Germany, is the largest marksmen's funfair in the world with more than 5,000 marksmen, 250 rides and inns, 5 large beer tents, and the "Marksmen's Parade". The parade, with more than 10,000 participants from Germany and all over the world and more than 100 bands, is 12 kilometres long. It is the longest parade in the world. The landmark of the funfair is one of the highest transportable big wheels in the world. It is 60 metres high and offers seating for 420 people in 42 cabins.
context_section_description: Schützenfests are celebrated mainly in Bavaria and Lower Saxony, but also in the Lower Rhine and Middle Rhine regions as well as in Westphalia (especially the Sauerland), with festive processions. Since German Reunification, Schützenfests have begun to emerge in eastern parts of Germany as well.  The traditions connected to the Schützenfest vary greatly from one region to another in Germany.
  These traditions include the "Blow of the Flag" (a particular way of waving a flag). The Blow of the Flag in particular, as well as the waving of the flag in general are executed according to fixed rules. Competitions are held in the discipline of flag waving.
  Schützenfests may range from one day to several days and may include and be accompanied by various events. They often take place in the festival room of a local public house or in a pavilion especially erected for the occasion. In the Sauerland, many towns have a special Marksmen's Hall that is used for these festivities. Many Schützenfests start with a festive procession, whereby the reigning King of Marksmen, along with the royal household, plus local dignitaries, are all escorted by the marksmen and paraded to the festive square or the festivities. This is often followed by a "royal parade" where the marksmen march past the king and the royal court, with marching bands, Corps of Drums, and fanfare bands playing along. The parading marksmen are formed in platoons or squads depending on the size of the formation, and in large towns and cities marksmen are formed in companies and in both cases of the parade color guards march along with them. In a lot of cases, the pavilion is surrounded by a funfair.
  The most common form of shooting competition is the Bird Shooting. Nowadays the contestants no longer shoot at actual birds but on a mock bird made of wood and mounted on a pole. The contestant who demounts the last pieces of the wooden bird is the new King of Marksmen. Varying traditions may include the shooting of wooden animals other than birds or special awards won by the shooting of certain body parts, e.g. wings, beak etc.
  Even a Großer Zapfenstreich and band concerts form part of the celebrations as well. The Großer Zapfenstreich done in these civil events, even through military in origin as the festival itself, are formed up of the marksmen's organizations, torch bearers, color guards and a marching band and corps of drums, with an optional fanfare band when needed. Most are done outdoors, and there's an option to have an indoor ceremony done in the same manner as the outdoor ceremony. Many of the groups that help organize these festivities celebrate German pride, as well as local community and state traditions, weapon drills (sans bayonets) and the wearing of local military uniforms.  The use of the military hand salute is observed in many of these events. Normally the Bundeswehr marching practice is observed. Some have modern-styled marching bands, or even bands modeled on foreign militaries, and march along during the parades with different variants per region.  In Neuss, for example, the Rhine Guards Drum and Bugle Corps (based on the bands of the United States Marine Corps), and the Quirinus Band and Bugle Corps (under its current Bandmaster Peter Hosking - Ex Light Division), Germany's 1st ever band and bugles in the traditions of the British Army Light Division regiments (now The Rifles), that were based in West Germany during the Cold War years, have been a part of the parades there in recent years.  A re-formed band, the Kapellen-Efrt Band of the Grenadier Guards, perpetuates the traditions of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Household Division, which were deployed during the Cold War in Lower Saxony. A few corps only make use of the US-style hand-over-heart civil salute during the Großer Zapfenstreich to distinguish these associations from the Bundeswehr, which uses the military hand salute.
  Notable German Schützenfests include
  Deutsches Bundesschießen: Organised by the German Shooting and Archery Federation the first German Rifle Meeting was 1862 in Fran
caption: The Bremen Marksmen's and People's Festival (1846, wood-engraving from the Illustrirte Zeitung).
exif: {}