The Orden wider den tierischen Ernst (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]