Celebrate the Togetherness of the Oktoberfest

Festivals and carnivals are great places to bond with family and friends. And the Oktoberfest, which is a beer festival in Munich, Germany, is no different. Celebrated during the months of September and October, the beer festival is more of a family carnival that takes place for around 16 days.

Oktoberfest is touted to be a part of the Bavarian culture and is also the biggest fair in the country with nearly 6 million people attending it every year. It is a great time and place to mingle with friends and loved ones, while drowning huge quantities of beer.

The event takes place in an area called Theresienwiese which also stands for a large meadow or field. Originally celebrated for 16 days till the first Sunday in October, the event is extended to 17 days if the first Sunday falls on the 2nd of October and 18 days if the first Sunday falls on the 3rd of October.

History: The first beer festival was held in the year 1810 by King Ludwig I to commemorate his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The marriage took place on October 12th followed by a grand race on October 17th. These dates were later taken as the starting dates for the fest.

By 1950, the event had progressed to a grand scale and started being celebrated as a tradition. The start of the festival was signified by a twelve gun salute shot followed by the opening of the first barrel of beer of the fest. This was done at exactly 12:00 by the Mayor of Munich who cried out “O’zapft is!”, which meant that the keg was tapped. The first beer was given to the Minister-President of Bavaria.

By the early 60’s the Oktoberfest began to acclaim world fame and is today known as the Number One Beer Festival in the World. Though the horse races were stopped by then, today, the event is still celebrated on a grand scale, with opening parades, groups dressed in traditional folk costumes and various breweries with their carriages drawn by horses, parading the streets of Munich till they reach the Theresienwiese. This is when the Beer Festival is said to officially start.

Food and Wine: It’s not only the unlimited wine that draws visitors to Oktoberfest, but the delightful cuisine dished out by local and international chefs alike. Some of the more popular dishes include the Baravian specialties of Weisswurst, otherwise called a white sausage; the Obatzda, which is prepared from cheese, butter and spices in addition to the more traditional delicacies which include Hendl (a form of cooked chicken), kasespatzle which is cheese noodles, Stecklerfisch which is grilled fish that is served on a stick, wurstel (sausages), and Haxn which translates into the knuckle of pork. Dishes made out of potatoes are also common and potato pancakes are a common sight on the serving tables.

Restrooms in the area: What with all that continuous eating and drinking, it would be necessary for visitors to relieve themselves at regular intervals. For this purpose, there are about 1800 urinals and toilets in the area.

Men are asked to move to a closed grate called Pissoir if they need to urinate. Cell phones are not allowed inside these stalls and guests are requested to not crash into the line as this had led to fights in the previous fests. It is not an uncommon site to see men relieving themselves under trees and in bushes if the queue seems to be too long.

The annual refuse from the Oktoberfest is touted to be about 1000 tons which is lugged away each morning after which the roads are cleanly washed down. Sponsors pay for part of the cleaning and the rest is paid for by the government of Munich.

Rules and Regulations: The government of Munich has chalked out a few rules that need to be followed by visitors and locals alike. Loud music is forbidden in any of the tents till 6 in the evening. This was done in an attempt to make the Oktoberfest friendlier for older people who otherwise complained that the blaring songs irritated them. The result of the ban was a more soothing event that maintained the original beer fest effect with the pop and reggae music being played from evening till late in the night for party goers.

Smoking was formerly banned inside tents and other public enclosures. But this ban was lifted in favor of smokers who felt that the rule should not be imposed on small pubs and beer tents.

Hangovers and Souvenirs: There are many visitors who claim to stay in their senses even after several rounds of beer. However, the scenario in reality is quite the opposite. Drunken people passing out are a very common site on the grounds and there is a special medical tent that tends to them. “Bierleichen” is the common term given to these so called drunken folk which also translates to beer corpses in German.

Oktoberfest mugs are created every year and sold to visitors as souvenirs of the fest. Holding a capacity of 1 litre each, these glass mugs come with the logo of a brewery and can be bought in tents. It is advised to keep the receipt of the purchase in hand as police keep a sharp lookout for stolen mugs and thieves.

Another souvenir is a mug made of clay instead of glass. This one is a more generalized souvenir and has the poster of the Oktoberfest pertaining to that particular year imprinted on the side. The mug is also covered with a lid made of pewter.

The popularity of the Oktoberfest has initiated many countries to start their own versions of the festival. However, Munich takes the cake for being the founder as the well the grandest of all such fests celebrated on any other part of the world. Entrance is absolutely free. So come along and join the beer party!