Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is a Bavarian festival that officially takes place in Munich, Germany. Ironically, it begins on a Saturday in the second half of September, and always ends on the first Sunday of October. The festival is held on the "Theresienwiese" or "Theresa's Meadows," after Princess Therese Von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, wife of King Ludwig I, the former Crown Prince.

History

Oktoberfest began as a festival to celebrate the marriage of the aforementioned royals on October 12, 1810 ("The History of Oktoberfest"). Interestingly, this first fest did not include any beer-related events at all, rather, the main attraction was a horse race, called the "Scharlachrennen," or " Scarlet Race at Karlstor," which was a tradition until 1938. The popular beer festival was not added until 1818 and was an expansion that allowed pubs to participate in the Agricultural Festival, which was added in 1811. A carousel and two swings were also added in 1818, adding to the sparse activities available at the time. Small beer stands were a staple until 1896 when beer tents and halls were added to the lineup, sponsored by breweries.

Oktoberfest has always had purpose from an anthropological perspective as well. One way of viewing these traditions is that they take place to help the society survive and thrive and Oktoberfest fits that description. When agriculture needed to be stimulated in the economy, that is when the agricultural fair was added in 1811. When so many people will already be gathering, the festival was the perfect way of promoting the areas economic needs. Additionally, the fair has had to be cancelled a few time throughout history and they also align with the idea of helping people survive. Whenever it has been dangerous to gather so many people, it has been cancelled. For example, in 1813, 1866, 1914-1918, and 1939-1945 were all cancelled due to wars. In 1854 and 1873, it was also cancelled due to a cholera epidemic. Overall, the festival has helped the societies needs over the years, but has been limited when it would be more of a danger for the society.

Current Traditions.

The Oktoberfest begins with the tent keeper's and breweries' ceremony of taking over the Therenweise, or "Weis'n", as the locals call it ("Oktoberfest Traditions"). For this ceremony, a procession of colorful horse-drawn carriages and wagons march down the "Sonnestrasse" to the Weisn grounds, lead by the "Münchner Kindl," the coat of arms of Munich. Since 1950, about an hour after the procession into the grounds, the mayor of Munich performs the ceremonial tapping of the first keg in the oldest tent on the grounds, the Schottenhamel tent. This ceremony is called "O'zapft is!" or "keg breached." After this comes the most important and anticipated event, the serving of the beer. Not just any old brewery can serve beer at Oktoberfest, only the six biggest and oldest family-run breweries in Munich can serve beer during the fest on the grounds. Beer mugs are redesigned every year as a form of collector's item or souvenir. Oktoberfest is closed with a ceremony known as the Gun Salute. After the kings of the shooting competition are crowned, the festival is closed with brass bands and saluting guns.

Oktoberfest is not just popular in Germany. In the United States, cities such as San Francisco, California, Helen, Georgia, and Denver, Colorado have famous Oktoberfest celebrations. Even Peoria holds its own Oktoberfest event every year. The festival includes German heritage events, like a tent with live music and beer, and contests like beer stein holding and log sawing.

Learn More

For information about 2020 Oktoberfest activities in Germany, you can visit the official website here https://www.oktoberfest.de/en

For information about Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States, visit this website

https://matadornetwork.com/read/best-oktoberfest-celebrations-united-states/

For Peoria Oktoberfest information, you can find their website and events here https://www.oktoberfestpeoria.com/information

Delaware Seangerbund and Library Association: Origin of Oktoberfest http://www.delawaresaengerbund.org/Oktoberfest/Origin.htm#targetText=The%20Origin%20of%20the%20Oktoberfest,Hildburghausen%20was%20celebrated%20in%20Bavaria.

German Culture: Oktoberfest Traditions https://germanculture.com.ua/german-holidays/oktoberfest-traditions/

For a quick rundown of facts, stats, and the evolution of Oktoberfest, check out this video!

For a documentary about Oktoberfest in Munich, check out this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjxF9eGtQ7M

Works Cited

2019. "This History of Oktoberfest." Muenchen.de. Retrieved December 2, 2019. (https://www.muenchen.de/int/en/events/oktoberfest/history.html)

2019. "Oktoberfest Traditions." German Culture. Retrieved December 2, 2019. (https://germanculture.com.ua/german-holidays/oktoberfest-traditions/)

Anon. n.d. “Oktoberfest.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 5, 2021 (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oktoberfest).

Peoria Oktoberfest. 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019. (https://www.oktoberfestpeoria.com/daily)

History of the Oktoberfest. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.oktoberfest.net/history-oktoberfest/.