The festivities only begin after sunset but the villagers are already busy preparing for several days beforehand. The ‘iffele‘ craftsmen are the busiest, putting the finishing touches to creating huge paper bishop hat lanterns lit inside with candles, which are a highlight of the festival.
The sun sets and the street lights go out, engulfing the crowd in utter darkness… then from a distance you can hear the sound of giant cracking whips (up to 8ft in length) as sharp as gun shots filling the air, signalling the start of the procession. The iffele lantern bearers follow, carried by some 150 men, casting a glow on the darkened streets. St Nicolas follows, accompanied by four dark elves disguised as chimney sweeps, representing the darker sides of life, accompanied by the cheer of the crowd and in hot pursuit follows a brass band.