Information AboutOktoberfest |
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Oktoberfest (''lit. October Festival'') is a two-week Festival held each year in Munich ''(München)'', Bavaria , Germany , during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest Fair , with some six million people attending every year. Other cities across the world also hold fairs, modeled after the Munich event, called ''Oktoberfest''. DESCRIPTION The event takes place during the 16 days before the first Sunday in October (unless the 3rd of October "Tag der deutschen Einheit" - the German national day is a Monday or Tuesday) on an area named the "Theresienwiese", often called "d' Wiesn" ("the meadow" in Bavarian Dialect ) for short. Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares "O'zapft is!" (Bavarian for "It's tapped!"). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion (Wiesnbier), which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. This beer should not be confused with Märzen . It is served in a one-liter-tankard called ''Maß'' ( IPA : {Link without Title} ). Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a ''Bierzelt'' (beer tent) which is large enough for thousands (see below). Only six Munich breweries are allowed to serve beer at Oktoberfest – Löwenbräu , Spaten , Augustiner , Hofbräu , Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr . Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as Sausage , Hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and Sauerkraut , along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails. HISTORY The first "Oktoberfest" took place on ") organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12th, the horse race on Oktober 17th, therefore there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest). In the year 1813 the Oktoberfest was called off as Bavaria was involved in the Napoleonic war. In 1816, carnival booths appeared. The main prizes were silver, porcelain, and jewelry. In 1819, The town fathers of Munich took over festival management. They decided that the Oktoberfest should be celebrated every year without exception. Later, it was lengthened and the date pushed backward. The reason being that the end of September in Bavaria often has very good weather. The high temperature in the first week of Oktoberfest nears 30° Celsius which stimulates the thirst of the visitors. However, today the last week of Oktoberfest is still in October. above the Theresienwiese]] Since 1850 The statue of Bavaria has watched the Oktoberfest. This worldly Bavarian Patron was first sketched by Leo Von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticised and "germanised" the draft. Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand Von Miller made the statue. In 1853, the Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was finished. In 1854 3,000 residents of Munich succumbed to an epidemic of Cholera , so the festival was canceled. Also, in the year 1866, there was no Oktoberfest as Bavaria fought in the Austro-Prussian War. In 1870, the Franco-German war was the reason for concelation of the festival. In 1873, the festival was once more canceled due to a Cholera epidemic. In the year 1880, the city government approved the sale of beer. The electric light illuminated over 400 booths and tents. In 1881, booths selling bratwursts opened. In 1892, beer was first served in glass mugs. At the end of the 1900's, a re-organization took place. Until then, there were games of Kegelen , large dance floors, and trees for climbing in the beer booths. They wanted more room for guests and musicians. The booths became beer halls. In the year 1910, Oktoberfest celebrated its 100th birthday. 120,000 liters of beer were poured. In 1913, the Bräurosl was founded, which was the largest Oktoberfest beer tent of all time, with room for about 12,000 guests. Today, the biggest tent is the Hofbräu-Festhalle which holds 10,000. From 1914 through 1918, World War I prevented the celebration of Oktoberfest. In 1919 and 1920, the two years after the war, Munich celebrated only an "Autumn Fest." In 1923 and 1924, the Oktoberfest was not held due to inflation. In 1933, the Bavarian white and blue flag was replaced with the standard swastika flag From 1939 to 1945, due to World War II, no Oktoberfest took place. From 1946 to 1948, after the war, Munich once again celebrated only the "Autumn Fest." The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer was not permitted. The guests had to make due with beer that had an alcohol content under 2%. Since its beginnings the Oktoberfest has thus been canceled 24 times due to war, disease and other emergencies. Since 1950, there has been a traditional festival opening: A twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the current Mayor of Munich with the cry "O'zapft is!" opens the Oktoberfest. The first mayor to tap the keg was Thomas Wimmer . By 1960, the Oktoberfest had turned into an enormous world-famous festival The first Japanese, Americans, and New Zealanders discovered the festival and stumbled with beer mugs alongside Bavarians. They spread the word of Munich worldwide. After this foreigners began to picture germans as wearing the Sennerhut , Lederhosen , and the girls in Dirndl . Horse races ended in 1960 . On September 26 , 1980 , a Bomb Explosion near the entrance killed 13 visitors and injured 200 more. The bomb had been placed by a 21-year-old Neo-Nazi who died at the scene. It has been related to Gladio , NATO's secret paramilitary organizations. There are many problems every year with young people, who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol. Many pass out due to drunkenness. These especially drunk patrons are often called "Bierleichen" (German for "beercorpses"). They are brought by staff to a medical tent where drunks as well as sick people are treated. To make the Oktoberfest, and especially the beer tents, once again friendly to older people and families, the concept of the "quiet Oktoberfest" was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 PM, the tents only play quiet music, for example traditional wind music. Only after that will Schlager and pop music be played, which has led to more violence in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 decibels. With these measures, the organizers of the Oktoberfest hope to curb the over-the-top party mentality and preserve the traditional beer tent atmosphere. ''See also:'' Olympics Costume Parade To honor the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria, a parade took place for the first time in 1835. Since 1950 this has been a yearly event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. 8,000 people, mostly from Bavaria, in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street, through the center of Munich, to the Oktoberfest. The march is led by the '' Münchner Kindl ''. Entry of the Hosts In 1887 , the Entry of the Oktoberfest Staff and Breweries took place for the first time. This event showcases the splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries and the bands that play in the festival tents. This event always takes place on the first Saturday of the Oktoberfest and symbolises the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration Attack on Oktoberfest On filled with 1.39 kilograms of TNT and mortar shells. Thirteen people were killed, over 200 were injured, 68 seriously. This was the worst terrorist attack in the history of Germany. The official inquiries found that the Right-wing Extremist Gundolf Köhler from Donaueschingen , a social outcast who was killed himself in the explosion, was the lone perpetrator. This account is doubted vehemently by various groups. Accidents On September 30th, 1996 26 people were injured in a collision on the ''Eurostar'' Roller Coaster . FACTS AND DATA Size The Oktoberfest is known as the ''Largest People's Fair in the World.'' Year after year, about six million people visit the 64 acre large Theresienwiese . 70 percent of the people are from Bavaria. Numerous visitors come from other countries, especially Italy. But a lot of guests also come from other non-European countries like Japan and Australia. Besides the Oktoberfest, there is a second public festival which takes place at the same place in April/May: The Munich Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival), which is also known as "Little Oktoberfest." There are also various other festivals in Munich, of which the Auer Dult is best known. Duration On account of the duration of the festival and the nice weather, the Oktoberfest has begun in September since 1872. It always opens on a Saturday and its duration varies depending on the days of the week each year (Approximately 16 days). The festival has traditionally ended on the first Sunday of October, but if this day is the 1st or 2nd day of October, the festival will go on until the October 3rd (German Unity Day). Dates The Oktoberfest will take place according to the following chart: |