Switzerland travel and documentary photography by Rudolf Abraham – photographs from Basel Fasnacht, Switzerland's largest and most spectacular carnival. Basel Fasnacht begins with Morgestraich, when at exactly 04.00 on the first Monday after Ash Wednesday, all the lights in the city are switched off and Basel is plunged into darkness, with cliques (groups) of pipers and drummers marching through the old town in elaborate masks and costumes. They carry large, beautifully painted lanterns (the subject matter consisting of biting political satire), which along with smaller hand-painted lamps strapped to their heads, provide the only illumination until dawn. Morgestraich is followed by a procession in the afternoon with gugge music (brass/percussion groups). In 2017 the Basler fasnacht was inscribed on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. © Rudolf Abraham
