From the history of the 1st Carnival Association CC-AS von 1981 e.V. Leipzig
The year was 1981. As in so many years before, 11 November had passed without a trace in Leipzig-Grünau. The Connewitzer Carnevals Club already existed in Leipzig. But in the new development area of Leipzig-Grünau, where well over 50,000 people already lived at the time, carnival was unthinkable. But wait, that's not entirely true, because in the ‘Alte Salzstraße’ restaurant, a group of regulars discussed carnival and made the grand decision to start a carnival club. So, without much thought, the CC-AS was founded on 7 December 1981.
Every beginning is difficult, and that was also the case with CC-AS. Many friends and acquaintances had to be approached and persuaded to get involved. Some shook their heads in disbelief, others smiled pityingly, because carnival here in Saxony seemed to many to be like the Eiffel Tower in Leipzig.
Despite all the prophecies of doom and difficulties, the club managed to organise its first events in February 1982. There was a lot of improvisation, but the audience liked the early beginnings and celebrated with the CC-AS. In the following years, numerous new friends joined the club and a solid carnival base began to develop. In 1984/85, the CC-AS created its first themed programme, under the motto ‘A. & V. in Grünau’, which poked fun at the problems of the time. In the mid-1980s, there was talk in the GDR of a stable social system, but even then, although not officially admitted, it had its numerous problems and ailments. The opening of the Delikat shops, where ‘non-foreign currency owners’ could also buy this or that item ‘from the West’, prompted the CC-AS to create a programme under the motto ‘We are becoming more and more delicate’. This enabled the CC-AS to address socio-political issues by name. Numerous successful programmes followed, which were performed several times during each carnival season at the club's former headquarters, the ‘Alte Salzstraße’ (from which, incidentally, the club's name was derived). The number of guests increased from year to year, as word had long since spread that the CC-AS offered a great carnival experience.
In the year of change, 1989, the atmosphere was electric on 11 November, as the CC-AS took a risk for the first time, but the border was open and everything changed abruptly. However, the new era did not bring only positive changes for the CC-AS, which was now registered as the "1. Karnevalsverein CC-AS von 1981 e.V. Leipzig‘ in the register of associations, did not only bring positive changes. The ’Alte Salzstraße‘ was no longer available as a venue, so the association looked for new premises, celebrated in the ’Völkerfreundschaft" youth clubhouse and then, after a long search, found a new home just outside the city in the Rosensäle Miltitz.
The men's ballet celebrated true triumphs with a wide variety of dances, including ‘Ich bin die fesche Lola’ (I am the dashing Lola) and ‘Putzfusseln’ (Dust Bunnies), to name just two of the men's ballet's many successful dances. Even today, the men's ballet is an integral part of every CC-AS programme, ensuring fun and cheerfulness.
For many years, the ‘Salzstraßensänger’ were part of every CC-AS programme. A new song was written and composed for each new season to match the theme. Hardly any other club in the region can boast such a large collection of its own carnival songs and party songs. The Salzstraßensänger appeared on MDR television and ZDF and can still be heard on the radio during the carnival season. In 2000, a CD was released with a small selection of their songs. Although the Salzstraßensänger no longer perform, singing, the tradition of a new theme song each year and the preservation of the song repertoire are still part of the association's work today.
It should be noted at this point that without all these members, the successful development of the CC-AS would never have been possible. However, the most important thing that the members of the CC-AS have taken up as their cause remains the same: celebrating carnival is one of the most wonderful things in the world, because it always succeeds in bringing guests hours of variety, cheerfulness and humour, allowing them to forget the worries and problems of everyday life for a few hours. But carnival also means that we want to be socially critical and use our resources and opportunities to draw attention to problems. True to the old motto of all carnivalists, the CC-AS will continue to be there for its audience for the fun of it.
excerpts R.I. 03/10