News 15/09/2016 16:28
Are you passionate about beer? What are you waiting for!? Discover Oktoberfest, the festival where everything revolves around this refreshing drink…and it’s done in a big way!
During the celebration countless amounts of beer are served in huge glass pints, all in venues that offer live music and dancing, attractions, and lots of activities for the large number of people attending. So make the most of this German holiday, which is celebrated in more cities every year.
With TheWonderTrip you can take surprise trips to some of the best brewery cities, but above all, you can go to Oktoberfest for a unique experience in Munich and other cities which have adopted this holiday, like Brussels, Dublin, Madrid, or Barcelona.
Oktoberfest has its origins in the early nineteenth century and was in honour of the wedding between Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburgausen.
Since the wedding celebration between these characters was a huge success, it was lengthened and repeated for several days, starting to take the shape of the current Oktoberfest, ‘October Festival’. So, year after year, people gathered in memory of that party to drink beer, dance and eat, maintaining the aesthetics and customs of the time.
Everything can be summed up in the phrase: it was a party to remember!
This famous German holiday has become a symbol of German culture, besides becoming an icon for all beer-drinkers (which there are more than a few of). Big pitchers of beer, food, live music and nineteenth-century German aesthetics make this event an international tourist attraction.
The festival starts with the entrance of the floats of Wirte (owners of the breweries) filled with barrels of beer that are ready to be emptied. After the entrance of these floats, the first barrel is opened with the smallest number of blows from a large wooden hammer and with the yelling of “O ‘zapft is!” which means, “it’s open” (the max number of blows required was 20 and the minimum was 2). This is the festival’s kick-off, which the Spanish could call the “Chupinazo”.
HOW MANY BEER STEINS DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HOLD
Something interesting that happens at Oktoberfest are the challenges that take place at the venues. Most striking is the competition to see who can carry the most one-litre pints of beer. When we think about Oktoberfest, one of the images that come to mind is of a person holding 12 pints of beer with a big smile on their face.
There’s also a similar competition where the goal is to hold as many plates as possible. There are lots of challenges and games like this to help liven up the party.
There are often parks and attractions for kids at the venues because, although the festival revolves around beer, the most important thing is to have a party that is fun for everyone.
TRADITIONAL COSTUMES
The parades are another important part of the festival, which show off costumes and clothing from the 1800s in Germany. In honour of the wedding between Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxony, on the first Sunday of the festival, a parade of people in traditional dress walks from the Maximilaneum to the Oktoberfest grounds.
The traditional dress for women is called Dirndl, which consists of a large domed skirt along with a kind of corset made of wool, linen, or velvet.
For its part, Lederhosen are the staple clothing for men for Oktoberset, or to go to a Bavarian brewery. Lederhosen literally means ‘leather pants’ and are like a pair of dungaree shorts worn with a white shirt underneath, and with long socks and shoes.
Dare to see the magic of Bavarian culture through good beer and dancing.
Author: mgarcia mgarcia
