The School Fasching Celebration

Ronan's school Fasching (read last post to learn about what Fasching is) celebration took place last week. Each class had a different costume theme that was related to the performance each class was to do at the school assembly. Since Ronan's class was performing a cowboy song (which Ronan really disliked), the classroom's theme was cowboys. So all the children were asked to dress up as a cowboy/cowgirl, and if they wanted to dress up as something else, to at least bring a hat and vest so they could change into a cowboy for the performance. Ronan wanted to be a Ninja, so we got him a Ninja outfit along with a toy sword, which he has spent many hours assaulting his parents with.
However, when the day came, we wondered whether we should bring a toy gun with the cowboy outfit. We figured that it wouldn't be appropriate. In the US, it would certainly be frowned upon or worse, especially in consideration of all the school shootings that have happened over the years. So, of course, we figured that bringing a toy pistol to school would be taboo. We didn't bring it.
So we arrive at the school and take Ronan to his classroom and it's complete mayhem! All his classmates were running around crazy shooting off their toy cowboy pistols. It was a no-holds-barred, OK Corral, mass shoot-out. The theme in the classroom across the hall was the muppets, even the Cookie monster had a toy pistol. And here is our child, unarmed, in fact, we'd even forgotten his Ninja sword. He was defenseless and he knew it, we knew it. The tears begin to well up in his eyes and all the excitement of the day disappeared. After all, for a kid who loves to go swordfighting in the park and gets yelled at for pointing his toy guns at his parents, here was his perfect chance to let it all out, to go gun-crazy with his classmates, and what had he done, he had left his weapons at home on the one day when was allowed to have one.
What could we do? Ronan was so dejected and upset. Was there enough time to go back home in the snow storm to get his sword or toy pistol? Hmm, too far. Well, James and I looked at each other. We both thought of the big box store about a mile up the road from the school where they had lots of costumes and toys for kids. Ah, time for a gun run! Yup, we went on a gun run so our child wouldn't feel left out of the mayhem. I just can't imagine having done this in the US. It would be considered so politically incorrect, even though we probably have some of the most liberal gun ownership laws of most developed countries. However, here in conservative, Catholic Bavaria, Fasching is a time where rules are relaxed. Everyone is allowed to go a bit crazy (before Lent) and release some of that pent up energy caused by cabin fever, and that includes dressing up as cowboys and bringing toy pistols to school.
So Ronan donned his costume. We told him we'd be back, we got on our bikes and cycled out in the snow to Kaufland to buy our kid a gun to take to school. We purchased the last Colt 45 in the shop, returned to the school, and made one little boy very happy. However, the irony of this was not lost on us.