The first Oktoberfest in Munich took place on Oct. 12, 1812 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (who became King Ludwig I later) and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Munich's citizens were invited to join the festivity which was held on a field on the city's outskirts. In honor of the new-wed princess it was named Theresienwiese (Theresia's meadow). The festivities ended with a horse race, and it was decided to repeat the race in the following year. An agricultural show, beers stalls, merry-go-rounds and other amusements were added to the festival over the years. The horse race is no longer held, but the Oktoberfest is still celebrated on the Theresienwiese in Munich.
Throughout the years, the festival expanded more and more, and held horse
races and an Agricultural Show, intended to improve the Bavarian agriculture.
Today, the Agricultural Show only happens every 3 years. In 1818 carousel and
swings were set up for the first time during the festival – later becoming a
themed park – and it was only in 1896 that beer stands were included in the
event, later becoming tents, famously called Zelte or Bierzelte – Beer Tents.
This year of 2014, the Wies’n will happen for the 181th time in its history!
At Oktoberfest in Munich, there are seven enormous
beer tents that line the “Wirtsbudenstraße.” The beer is brewed by Munich’s six
largest breweries and is much stronger than American beer. The price of a Maß
(a liter of beer) averages 9 euros. In addition to the seven enormous beer
tents that line the “Wirtsbudenstraße, ” there are also smaller tents which
local Munich pub owners run and manage, but are under license to one of the larger
breweries. The price of a Maß in the smaller tents is usually 20 to 50 cents
cheaper than in the larger tents.
Some of the traditional foods that you will find at
Oktoberfest are: Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of
pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with
Brezn (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Kaasspotzn (cheese
noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (red cabbage)
along with such Bavarian traditional food as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced
cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage).
Last weekend the hubby and I headed to Munich to
experience all that is Oktoberfest and let me tell you it was just, wow! We
hopped on the bus at 7am and arrived about two and a half hours later. So many
roads were blocked off and so many people were there that the closest place
that the bus was able to park and drop us off at was about a mile away. No
worries though the festival was easy to find! All you have to do is follow the
music, people in Tracht, and the smell of food and beer. We spent the day going
in tents and beer gardens, eating food, riding the Ferris wheel, and shopping
for souvenirs. Throughout the day we saw countless emergency vehicles, people being
carried away on stretchers, and police breaking up fights. That is on top of
the large amount of people we saw passed out from drinking so much and the
people who were leaving Oktoberfest that were hunched over the side of the road
vomiting.
Despite all of the craziness we saw we found
Oktoberfest to be a blast. It was a bittersweet moment going knowing that it
would be our first and most likely last Oktoberfest. We did decide though that
if we are ever back in Germany during Oktoberfest for whatever reason that we
will go back for sure. Here are some dos and don’ts of Oktoberfest.
DO
1. If you have a Dirndl or Lederhosen you should wear it! We saw so many people wearing Tracht and we kept wishing that we had them to wear. Ladies: tie the bow on your schutz (apron worn on the Dirndl) according to
tradition. Tied to the left shows you’re single, tied to the right shows you’re
married and tied in the middle lets everyone know you’re open (or “its
complicated" if you speak Facebook). Warning: whichever way you tie may not
prevent any unwanted forms of affection from strangers throughout the night.
2. Know and accept that by the end of the day you are going to look every bit as embarrassing as everyone else.
3. Expect to have at least one beer dumped on you during the day. It's inevitable. But don't worry it doesn't stain. You'll just smell like beer the rest of the day.
4. Understand that you are going to have people push, shove, and bump into you. The place is so packed (especially the tents) and everyone is trying to squeeze their way in so that they can be served. Also watch out for the waitresses. Some of those extraordinary ladies can carry up to 15 beers at once and kudos to them because just one liter of beer alone doesn't feel very light.
5. Accept that there will be public displays of affection all over the place. People get real friendly with each other after they get a few beers in them.
6. Grab some roasted nuts on your way out of the fest! The smell will have been teasing you all day. We got roasted cashews and they were delicious.
DON'T
1. If you see an open table just take it. Don't look around and ask if it's open. Think like a cat: if you fits, you sits.
2. Don't wear high heels. We saw so many ladies wearing high heels into the fest and let me tell you, they were not very graceful on their way out. It's hard enough to walk after you've had a few. No need to make it harder on yourself.
3. Don't forget that the beer at Oktoberfest has a higher alcohol content. Therefore don't expect to feel okay after playing a few rounds of "who can drink a liter of beer the fastest".
4. Don't try stealing one of the mugs. Seriously, if you want one that bad just buy it at one of the many souvenir shops.
This year, the Oktoberfest Lost and
Found has been taking care of 1395 items. 320 pieces of clothing, 270
passports, 210 wallets and purses, 180 bags, 110 mobile phones, 100 keys, 90
glasses, 55 umbrellas, 40 pieces of jewelry, 20 cameras, one set of ball and
chain, a bugle, one statue, one handwritten affidavit and the annual,
unavoidable set of dentures. Security in the tents have so far recovered 28,300
stolen mugs and the biggest group of visitors from other countries have been from
the USA, Italy, and Australia.
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