by Katley Demetria Brown

Created on: September 29, 2010

One of the biggest parties in the world started with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig (Ludwig I) to Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen  on October 12, 1810.  This year the Munich Oktoberfest celebrates its 200th anniversary, and the celebration being held today would hardly be recognizable to the 40,000 guests who attended the wedding. 

The original Oktoberfest featured a horse race which became so popular it was repeated the following year. Each succeeding year brought more festivities: an agricultural show, and in 1835, a parade, led by the symbol of Munich, the  Münchner Kindl, followed  by a group of people dressed in Bavarian folk costumes. Although the horse race was eventually discontinued, carnival booths, food and beer stands, and amusement park rides were added to the fairgrounds, called the Theresienwiese (Wies’n) for short, named after Prince Ludwig’s bride.

As time went on the Octoberfest got bigger and bigger. Huge beer tents, sponsored by the seven Munich breweries, each with the capacity to hold 5000 people, were erected on the grounds. 

The Oktoberfest continued throughout the 19th century (with the exception of the Franco Prussian War in 1870, and a cholera epidemic in 1873).  During the 20th century, it was held every year except for the following periods: World War I (1914-1918), 1919 and 1920 (Autumn Fest instead of Oktoberfest), 1924, and World War II (1939-1945), and 1946-1948 (Autumn Fest instead of Oktoberfest).

The modern Oktoberfest lasts for 16-18 days, depending on the year when it takes place.  It usually begins on the third Saturday in September and ends the first Sunday of October. In honor of the 200th anniversary, the festival will end on Monday, October 4, 2010.The reason the beginning of the festival was moved from October to September had to do with the weather, it gets quite chilly in Munich in October.

There is something for everyone at today’s Oktoberfest:  delicious Bavarian food such as rotisserie chicken, bratwurst, weisswurst, schweinshaxe (ham hocks), huge pretzels, large radishes cut in the shape of roses, and fish on a stick. There’s plenty of beer to wash it down; and soft drinks for people who prefer not to drink alcholic beverages.  Brass bands with musicians dressed in lederhosen  play Bavarian folk music for your listening pleasure, and there are carnival rides and games. The agricultural fair is held every third year.

The beer is served in one liter glass mugs (called a Mass in German) and brewed specially for the event.  It contains about 6% alcohol.  Many people buy the glass mugs to bring home as souvenirs.

The Munich Octoberfest is one of the world’s largest autumn festivals, and draws thousands of people from all over the world.  It all began with a royal wedding.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

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