Orden wider den tierischen Ernst

The Orden wider den tierischen Ernst (German for 'Order for Combating Deadly Seriousness') is a carnival order that is awarded once a year by the Aachen Carnival Association to public figures.^[1][2] The order of knights^[2] honors people who combine "humor and humanity in office".^[1] The popular order has been awarded since 1950.^[3] The award ceremony traditionally takes place during a foolish ceremony (närrische Festsitzung).^[3] The WDR has been recording the ceremony for the first and third programs since 1995.^[4] In 2020 around 2.8 million people across Germany watched.^[4]