COLOGNE, Germany, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of revelers gathered in the western German city of Cologne for the annual Rose Monday parade to mark the peak of Germany's carnival season.
Starting around 10 a.m., people dressed up in carnival costumes and gathered along the 7.5-km parade route in central Cologne for the celebrations. Participants of the parade threw huge amounts of candies, chocolate bars and flower bouquets to the masses as the crowds cheered for more gifts.
As many as 12,000 participants joined the parade, which consisted of floats, carriages, marching bands and dance groups. About 300 horses were also deployed, the organizers said.
A group of resident representatives from all 86 neighborhoods of Cologne made their debut in the parade this year.
In many places along the river Rhine, famously in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz, people celebrate the German carnival which traditionally marks the final days before the start of the Lent, a religious observance in the Christian calendar.
Boasting a history of almost 200 years, the Cologne carnival is the largest of its kind in Germany, with Rose Monday being the highlight of the celebrations.
Unfortunately, a young woman was caught and killed by a tram during the hustle and bustle of Monday's celebrations in Cologne, according to the online news portal of the local government.
