City history: The carnival society "Land of Smiles"

In its monthly themed series, the Bocholt city archive is this time remembering the carnival tradition in Bocholt, especially the former carnival society "Land des Lächelns".

Every year at carnival time in Bocholt and elsewhere, the foolish "Helau!" echoes through the streets, pubs and festival halls.
streets, pubs and festival halls. This was already the case in the last third of the 19th century, when the
carnival societies "Fidelio" or "Atthuuuh" enlivened the fifth season with their colourful hustle and bustle.

In 1889, people enjoyed themselves in the clubs "Ulk" and "Cosmos", while eleven years later the carnival club
"Hallotria" made a name for itself in Bocholt. According to press reports, the city was "black with people" when
a carnival procession made its way through the centre on the so-called Dullen Tuesday (27 February 1900).
its way through the city centre.

During the Second World War, Bocholt's carnival came to a complete standstill and was not revived until the early 1950s.
fifties. A good three years after the "BoKaGe" was founded, on 15 July 1958 the
carnival society "Land des Lächelns" officially came into being with its president Theo Achterhoff. Its
members, an association of carnivalists from the Fildeken housing estate, had already organised themselves
years earlier under this name as a regulars' table or house party at the Matschke restaurant
and held a carnival meeting there every year on the aforementioned Dullen Tuesday.

Temporary disagreements about the founding year

On 9 July 1964, newspaper readers learned that the "Land des Lächelns" society would be celebrating its 35th anniversary at the next session. This claim promptly led to disgruntlement among the 1st Bocholt Carnival Society ("BoKaGe"), whose president Franz Lohscheller denied the anniversary in a letter to the editor. In a joint press release from both groups on 16 July 1964, the disagreements were cleared up so that "the successful start of a growing carnival tradition" would not be disrupted. Both societies ended the disputes with the aim of: "To give the Bocholt carnival the best together."

Red and white colours

The photo shows the carnival float of the society "Land des Lächelns" (Land of Smiles") in the colours red and white during the rainy Rose Monday parade on Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße on 21 February 1966. The home of former Lord Mayor Dr Wilhelm Benölken can be seen on the right. The administrative building of the former Liedern-Werth office can be seen in the background on the left. The carnival society "Land des Lächelns" took part in a foolish session for the last time in 1967 and subsequently disbanded. The following year, the board of the 1st Bocholt Carnival Society ("BoKaGe") acquired the costumes of its dance corps.