highest ranking representatives of the cologne carnival festivities prince mark peasant marcus and maiden michael the tradition goes back hundreds of years can because carnival was always a male domain behind the maiden's mask is a man in the past two months the triumvirate has attended more than four hundred carnival meetings sometimes for twelve hours at a time but despite the hard work this is a much sought after jump says maiden michael was always there with the one in the room i met someone over ninety years old who smiled and said i had to stay alive this long so i could finally meet a triumph or it face to face priceless. but over. the years the way every year the triumvirate is chosen by a special festival committee the highest board within the cologne carnival society the three are treated like royalty as they are driven around in the motorcade during carnival the city bounce to them. you know the peasants main task is to look evil and represent the finding spirit of our city. and i think i've got it down with this look. at the roots of the carnival tradition go back to early christianit