Rose Monday: Where does the name come from?

ABBREVIATIONS AND THEIR MEANINGS

February 10, 2024 at 11:00 am

Rose Monday will soon take place and then thousands of people will march through the streets again. But is Rose Monday actually a public holiday and where does the name come from? We’ll reveal it.

The famous Rose Monday parades take place on Rose Monday. (Source: J. Rieger, Cologne/Cologne Carnival Festival Committee)

Rose Monday is the highlight of the carnival season in the Rhineland and Rheinhessen.
Rose Monday is the Monday before Ash Wednesday. In 2024 it will fall on February 12th.
There are several theories about the name and meaning.

Rose Monday is coming soon and then the famous Rose Monday parades will take place in the carnival strongholds of the Republic. Especially in the Rhineland and Rheinhessen, Rose Monday is the highlight of the carnival season and draws hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets. But where does the term come from and what is the custom all about?

When is Rose Monday?

Rose Monday is the Monday before Ash Wednesday and lies between Carnival Sunday and Carnival Tuesday. In 2024 it will fall on February 12th.

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Is Rose Monday a public holiday?

Rose Monday is not a public holiday in any federal state. However, some employers give their employees the day off as a customary day.

Meaning and name

Where the name comes from is unclear. According to the German dictionary by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, the term Rose Monday comes from Middle High German for “Rasenmontag”, derived from “frenzied Monday”. The term “rasen” comes from the Cologne language as “rose” for “great”.

Another theory is that the name of the day comes from the previous day, as Sunday was also known as Rose Sunday in the Roman Catholic Church. In the 11th century, the Pope traditionally presented a golden rose to important personalities on this Sunday.