Life-sized sculpted figures on some of the parade's 150 floats drew on current events, poking fun at the likes of embattled Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi and former German defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who recently resigned amid a plagiarism scandal.

The elaborate Gaddafi float depicted about 200 human figures ripping down the dictator's house of cards with hammers and saws. The North African country has been gripped by unrest for almost three weeks in the wake of anti-Gaddafi protests.

A float at a smaller parade in nearby Dusseldorf satirized Europe's past links with the Libyan leader, showing a figure representing the continent, holding a bag of euros and kneeling before Gaddafi as he holds a barrel of oil behind his back.

Often resorting to crude humour, the floats also mocked other leading politicians, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, or drew attention to issues like the church's sex abuse scandal.

Cologne's Rosenmontag festival is the climax of carnival season in Germany, with the celebrations set to end on Tuesday.

Floats in the city dispense 300 tons of chocolates, roses and trinkets as free gifts to the cheering, dancing revellers every year.

The Cologne organizers declined to estimate the crowd size, but media reports said it appeared to surpass by half attendance at last year's parade, which police said attracted 1 million people in duller weather.

The merriment was televised live to parts of Germany where carnival is never celebrated.

Carnival is not a religious festival per se, but began centuries ago as a last blowout before the solemn, six-week season known as Lent, when devout Catholics fast on Fridays.

The timing of carnival varies around Europe, with strict local traditions governing the timing and conduct of parades.

Source: earthtimes.org

Updated : March 8 , 2011