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]