Oktoberfest
Description:
It all began with the marriage of the Bavarian heir to the throne, Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Theresa of Saxony. On October 12, 1810, the day when their wedding took place, all residents of the city were invited to festive festivities. They were gathered in a large meadow, at that time outside the city. Now, in honor of the princess, it is called Theresienwiese. Festivities with free beer and horse racing were arranged for Munichers that day. Everything went so lively and fun that Ludwig ordered the Oktoberfest to be celebrated annually. Every year the traditions of the past years were preserved, and new ones were added to them. So, in 1811, the festival of farmers with the most beautiful horses and bulls was added to the races. In 1818, carousels and swings were installed. At the same time, the first beer stalls were installed. In 1881, the world’s first and largest chicken brazier opened.
Since 1810, the tradition of the annual festival was interrupted only during the World Wars. After the Second World Beer Festival opened in 1950, by order of the then mayor of Munich, Thomas Wimmer. It has been held annually since then. In 2003, Munich celebrated the October holiday 170 times.
According to tradition, on the opening day, at exactly 12 o'clock, the mayor uncorked a barrel of beer. This symbolic action kicks off the beer marathon. Then along the central streets of the city begins a festive procession. At the head of it - "Munchner Kindi" - the symbol of the city - a young girl with a large bell in her hand riding a decorated horse. She is dressed in monastic robes of yellow and black. Next to it are the carriages of the mayor of Munich and the administration of Bavaria. They are followed by a string of decorated carriages and beer carts from all parts of Germany, primarily from Bavaria. In addition to them, the procession involves a column of shooters, artists and performers of folklore, brass bands, detachments in historical uniforms, as well as representatives of all lands of Germany. In the hands of the participants of the procession are musical instruments of different regions of the country, used since ancient times to this day. On the go, traditional genre scenes are played out, people carry decorated branches and garlands.
This traditional costumed procession has received the honorary title of the most beautiful, historically important and best organized in the world. The procession always takes place along the same route, the length of which is 6 kilometers. It starts at Siegestor and passes through the magnificent streets of the inner city to the main place of celebration - the Theresa Meadow.
Another tradition of Oktoberfest is the discovery of giant beer tents, popularly called “tents”. Every year there are exactly 14. The first such “tents” appeared in 1896. The largest of them, owned by Munich beer "Hofbrauhaus", can accommodate 11,000 people. And we are talking only about sitting places: Germans prefer to drink beer only sitting. In almost all tents, people sit together at long tables.
Each tent has its own capacity and its own feature. For example, the Augustinian brewery (Augustiner-Festhalle), designed for 10,000 people, serves beer from wooden barrels brewed by monks. Schottenhamel (6,000 seats) is home to unbridled and wild students. Near the oldest beer town - beer crossbow shooters (Armbrustschutzenzelt) - shooting range with 14 stands for crossbow shooting. And in Winzerer Fahndl you can come with children - there is quiet, calm, family friendly.
Beer can be bought not only in tents: during the beer festival, the whole city is immersed in the holiday, numerous beer outlets open in the fresh air - birgartens (beer gardens).
Beer is carried by waitresses dressed in old German costumes. The endurance of these women is striking, easily lifting 3-4 mugs of beer. But beer at Oktoberfest is drunk in liter mugs called "mass". The first mass appeared as early as 1892. It is interesting that during the holiday, visitors take with them, in memory of the festival, more than 70,000 such mugs!
Despite the fact that beer is a drink purely for adults, children do not forget about the holidays. For future potential festival participants, carousels are specially built, ice cream and other sweets are sold. Children ride on the children's railway, ride in carts drawn by horses, special performances are arranged for them. Every corner sells glowing horns, hearts, hats with flashing lights.
However, not only children but also adults buy them. Sometimes for practical reasons. By flashing hearts and stars in the dark, the special service will identify those who, after a little bit of beer, fell asleep in the fresh air. On carts, they will be taken to a special place where poor people can sleep and from where they will be taken by friends and relatives.
All 16 days of drinking beer are accompanied by a rich show program. Costume parades, processions of shooters, horse racing, concerts replace each other. Near the beer halls, you can often see dancers in traditional Bavarian costumes with leather trousers, beating the tap-shuplattle with heavy alpine boots. Also waiting for you with their excursions breweries and beer museums.
The scale of the holiday is best indicated by statistics. During the festival, about 7 million liters of beer are drunk (each year this volume increases), about 1.5 million fried chickens and sausages, 84 bulls are eaten. The beer, provided by six Munich breweries, is sold in 650 beer locations. There are 363 souvenir shops. Visitors are entertained by 200 attractions and concert venues. During the festival, more than 7 million tourists from all continents of the world visit Munich. The holiday itself is consecrated live on TV channels around the world. For all this, the Oktoberfest beer festival was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest holiday.