On Weiberfastnacht, the women’s day of carnival, women storm the town halls in many towns in the Rhineland and Westphalia. Since the middle of the 20th century it has also been the custom for women to cut off men’s ties, als Symbol der männlichen Macht, as a symbol of male power. In the office, this includes the boss’s tie. Legal advice columns point out that cutting off a tie without consent is in principle a criminal offense. If the boss has only recently moved to the area, his silent consent may not be assumed. The season ends with a carnival song from 1953: Am Aschermittwoch ist alles vorbei. On Ash Wednesday it is all over.