Ash Wednesday marks the end of the 5th season of the year, carnival.
The purse washing marks the end of carnival on Ash Wednesday. The purses are empty and the opportunity is taken to wash them and - according to an old belief - to flush new money into them. The jesters are usually dressed in black and perform this custom full of mourning with loud howling.
In addition, the fool's tree, which symbolises the "rule of the fools", is cut down and auctioned off to the highest bidder.