Perhaps because Lent is no longer so austere as it used to be, the European Catholic tradition of carnival time a brief spasm of bacchanalian indulgence that ends abruptly on Ash Wednesdayhas virtually died out in Italy, France and even in Southern Germany. Munich's once-orgiastic Fasching, for instance, has dwindled to a single parade and a few tame costume balls. One area where the annual urge to let it all hang out is as strong as ever is the Rhineland with its century-old tradition of blowing off steam as a form of political expression....
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