he lantern is like something sacred to every "Clique" (=group). A lantern consists of a framework covered with canvas and illuminated inside. Apart from the paintings on it according to a particular subject, there are also rhymes on the canvas. The subject usually deals with an event from the previous year, which is made fun of. That is why the lanterns have to be remade and painted again every year. The "Helgen" (=paintings) are real pieces of art. They are always colourful and imaginative. Mostly, they are illuminated by gas, very rarely by candles. The worst that can happen to a "Clique" is that their lantern burns down.

On Sunday before carnival, every group fetches their lantern. The members meet without costumes. After a speech by the artist of the lantern and the president of the "Clique", they take the lantern, unlit and covered, to the bar where they usually go to. The lanterns are not shown in public before the "Morgenstreich". The piccolo players (without the drummers) accompany the transportation of the lanterns with their marches.