Reception of fools in the State Chancellery: A celebration of joy of life!

On January 6, 2025, Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger welcomed around 300 fools to the traditional fools' reception in the State Chancellery. The reception began promptly at 11.11 a.m. and was attended by over 50 royal couples and great people from 90 carnival clubs. These clubs represented seven regional districts of the Association of Saarland Carnival Clubs. V. (VSK), which includes Saarbrücken-Upper Saar, Warndt-Völklingen, Saarlouis-Lebach, Merzig-Wadern, Illtal, Neunkirchen-Sulzbachtal and Saarpfalz-Kreis.

Anke Rehlinger emphasized the charisma and fascination of the Saarland carnival in a particularly contemporary way. She spoke about the importance of confidence and joy in life in difficult times. The Fools' Reception, which was launched in 1969 by Prime Minister Franz-Josef Röder, was also very well received this year. The VSK, which has a total of 180 clubs, including five French companies from the border area, has its president, Stefan Regert. The VSK clubs are spread across eight regional districts and have around 38,000 members, of which around 13,000 are young people under the age of 27. Among the young people, Lea Heitz leads the 18-member board as youth chairwoman.

Tradition and community

Participation in the event underlines the close community and tradition of carnival in Saarland. The tradition of receiving fools is continued by all subsequent prime ministers and is an integral part of Saarland's cultural life. Further details are listed in a press release from the VSK, which provides additional information on the organization and significance of the Fools' Reception, such as can be read on the VSK website.

Details about the event and further information can also be found in the article by Weekly Mirror Online.