Cultural Vignette: - Quia



Cultural Vignette:

Das Oktoberfest

The blue-white event

N

o other event is more associated with Germany than the Oktoberfest. The event traditionally takes place during the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October. The schedule was changed following German reunification in 1990 so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3rd (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2nd and 18 days when it is October 1st. And yet, the Oktoberfest is a traditional Volksfest that is home to only one German city: Munich, the capital of Bavaria. In Northern provinces an Oktoberfest may not happen at all or take place in a different way from what is commonly associated with the Bavarian sister celebration. This Cultural Vignette is about the origins and traditions of the Bavarian Oktoberfest in Munich.

History of the Oktoberfest

Millions of people know of the Oktoberfest and may have even been there, yet the history of the biggest Volksfest is hardly known. The Oktoberfest has its origin as a wedding celebration between Princess Therese Charlotte Luise von Sachsen-Hildburghausen (Therese von Bayern) and Ludwig I., König von Bayern, October 12, 1810.

The wedding festivities, to which also the common people were invited, took place on a big open field or meadow in front of the city gates. In honor of the bride, this field is named “Theresienwiese” or short Wiesn.

In the presence of the royal family, the festivities culminated in a horse race that entertained the entire Bavarian state. As a result of a resolution, to repeat the race the following year, the tradition of the “Oktoberfest” was born. To boost the Bavarian agricultural economy agricultural elements were added the following year, 1811. The horse race does no longer take place. However, the agricultural celebration, now called Zentrallandwirtschaftsfest still happens every four years during the ongoing Oktoberfest in the south corner of the Theresienwiese.

The availability of general entertainment and amusement during the first years was modest. In 1818 a “merry-go-round” and a set of swings for children was added. In small huts around the Wiesn visitors could purchase beer and the number of huts grew steadily over the years. Beer brewers began to collaborate and compete with other breweries and soon beer halls joined the merriment. Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt, a beer tent which is large enough for thousands. Note: the words 'stein' and 'lager' do not mean what many English speakers think they do so instead use 'Mass' or 'Helles' respectively

To honor the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria, a parade took place for the first time in 1835. Since 1850, this has become a yearly event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. 8,000 people — mostly from Bavaria — in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street, through the center of Munich, to the Oktoberfest. The march is led by the Münchner Kindl.

Münchner Kindl is Bavarian for "Munich child", the symbol on the coat-of-arms of the city Munich. This symbol has been the coat-of-arms of Munich since the 13th century. The figure portrayed was originally a hooded monk holding a Bible, but by the 16th century it evolved in different portrayals into the figure of a small child wearing a pointed hood, often shown holding a beer mug and a radish. The image in its different configurations has appeared on countless different objects, from atop the city hall in Munich to manhole covers and even beer steins. The gender of the figure has also changed over the years: from a clearly male monk, to a gender-neutral child, to a small girl. Nowadays when the kindl is portrayed by a person - for instance, as a mascot for Oktoberfest - it is usually enacted by a young woman. Blue and white are the official colors of the Bavarian flag.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony begins with the march of brewers onto the Theresienwiese. They are dressed in their national dresses and the kegs sit on horse drawn carriages that are pulled my regal looking draft horses. Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares "O'zapft is!" (Bavarian: "It’s tapped!"). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß. The first mass is served to the Bavarian Prime Minister.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.

|Statistics for the 2006 Oktoberfest |

|The event lasted 2 days longer |

|Visitors |6.5 million |

|Beer draft |6.9 million Maß |

| |one liter beer, important Bavarian |

| |measurement. |

|Roasted chicken |494.135 pieces  |

|Pork knuckles (Haxn) |43.492 pieces  |

|oxen |102 |

|Energy use |2,9 million kilowatt  |

|trash |720 tons |

|food left over/ bones |243 tons |

| | |

Those who would like to learn about the Wiesn language will find this useful dictionary handy:

For non-Bavarians, communication with the locals can sometimes be rather troublesome. The Oktoberfest dictionary solves this problem: If you should encounter an unfamiliar word, you can easily look it up here. In addition to traditional Oktoberfest words and phrases, you will find Bavarian everyday words which will help you on your visit. Have fun!

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Therese Charlotte Luise von Sachsen-Hildburghausen

Ludwig I., König von Bayern

Horse race on the Theresienwiese , 1870

Theresienwiese 2006 prior to opening of the Oktoberfest

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