Hundreds of thousands of revellers have taken to the streets across Germany to celebrate Carnival – dressed up in colourful costumes amid an abundance of sweets, flowers and alcohol.

Popular street parades in traditional Carnival strongholds such as Duesseldorf, Cologne and Mainz in the Rhineland drew huge crowds of locals and tourists alike.

A float with a depiction of Russian President Putin kissing the devil rides in the parade in Cologne, Germany
A float with a depiction of Russian President Putin kissing the devil rides in the parade in Cologne, Germany (Oliver Berg/dpa/AP)

Schools remained closed in many regions in the west so children could join the parades.

A carnival float depicts the fight for freedom in Iran during the traditional carnival parade in Duesseldorf
A carnival float depicts the fight for freedom in Iran during the traditional carnival parade in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)
Revellers celebrate at the traditional Alter Markt in Cologne
Revellers celebrate at the traditional Alter Markt in Cologne (Martin Meissner/AP)

Many of the processions showcased floats addressing global political topics with biting sarcasm.

In Duesseldorf, one float called Free Iran was themed with a small cleric struggling to free himself from the black, free-flowing long hair of a gigantic woman’s head.

Revellers celebrate during the traditional carnival parade in Duesseldorf
Revellers celebrate during the traditional carnival parade in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)
A carnival float depicts the cancelled parades in the last two years due to the pandemic in Dusseldorf
A carnival float depicts the cancelled parades in the last two years due to the pandemic in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)

Another float depicted an oversized, naked Russian President Vladimir Putin taking a “blood bath” in a tub painted in the yellow and blue colours of Ukraine.

Members of the ‘Marne Karnival Society’ celebrate on the way to the town hall in Marne
Members of the ‘Marne Karnival Society’ celebrate on the way to the town hall in Marne (Marcus Brandt/dpa/AP)

In Cologne’s Shrove Monday procession, a float showed Mr Putin in vampire attire kissing the devil and putting the world through a meat grinder, the German news agency dpa reported.

Thousands lined the streets as the parades slowly made their ways through the cities.

Revellers celebrate in Dusseldorf
Revellers celebrate in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)
A float depicting Mr Putin calling everyone else a Nazi in Dusseldorf
A float depicting Mr Putin calling everyone else a Nazi in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)

Onlookers cheered as traditional bands played familiar tunes, dancers in glitzy costumes marched along and Carnival princes and princesses on top of the floats threw down sweets and flowers.

German sculptor and illustrator Jaques Tilly, known for his politically satirical sculptures that adorn floats in protests and parades, rides his bicycle in Dusseldorf
German sculptor and illustrator Jaques Tilly, known for his politically satirical sculptures that adorn floats in protests and parades, rides his bicycle in Dusseldorf (Martin Meissner/AP)

In the eastern German city of Halle, a street parade was cancelled early after a woman was hurt in an accident, dpa reported.