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Travelers to Germany during late
September and early October are
in for an Oktoberfest treat: two
solid weeks of beer drinking,
revelry and entertainment. For
a glimpse into the festivities,
as well as some of the history
surrounding the event, read on.
Travel Germany: History of Oktoberfest
Even though the event is named
for the month afterwards, travelers
to Germany’s will notice that
Oktoberfest actually starts in
September. Originally, the party
began on the 12th of October,
1810, with the marriage of Crown
Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig
I of Bavaria) to Princess Therese
von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The
event caused such a stir that
it just had to happen again the
following year! This started the
German tradition that travelers
from around the world flock to
see every year.
In 1818, the celebration was comprised
of one carousel and a couple of
rides (appropriate for the times).
The beer tents didn’t start popping
up until 1896, and because Munich
was quite a bit smaller than it
is today, visitors to the German
Oktoberfest had to travel to a
large, 31 hectare field known
as die Theresienwiese, which was
named after the Princess. Locals,
however, know the area just as
die Wiesn.
Travel Germany: Oktoberfest Today
Oktoberfest in Germany to travelers
is a lot like the agricultural
fairs elsewhere, complete with
rides, merry-go-rounds, a carnival-like
atmosphere, food, and, of course,
the overflowing amounts of beer
available at the 14 Bavarian beer
tents. However, German travelers
should be aware that the full
meal deal agricultural fair, called
Zentrallandwirtschaftsfest, is
only held every three years. Also,
die Theresienwiese now lies within
the city limits, so visitors to
Germany’s Oktoberfest don’t have
to travel so far.
Officially, Oktoberfest starts
when Munich’s mayor, known in
German as the Oberbürgermeister,
taps the first beer keg and yells
O'zapft is! (meaning, literally,
“it’s tapped!”) at noon on the
first Saturday of the event; travelers
from around the world come just
to see this! And as always in
German culture, everything has
a name, and this date is no exception;
travelers will hear the first
day of Oktoberfest called Wiesn-Samstag.
Nowadays, the festivities start
on a Saturday in September, and
end on the first Sunday in October.
Families aren’t left out of the
loop either at the festivities;
travelers to the German Oktoberfest
can attend the two Tuesday afternoon
events designated just for families,
called Familiennachmittagen. From
12:00 to 6:00 on these days, German
travelers can take advantage of
special prices for public transportation
and entry rates as well.
Since Oktoberfest is held in Munich,
the language primarily used is
Barisich. Because this Bavarian
dialect is a bit strange, travelers
to Germany and Germans alike sometimes
have a hard time understanding
the die bairische Sprache (Bavarian
dialect), so it’s a great idea
to brush up a bit on your terms
before heading to the event. This
link will help you learn some
of the more familiar words you’ll
encounter on your travels to Gemany’s
Oktoberfest, as well as Bavarian
words used on the streets to help
you navigate your journey. http://oktoberfest.sat1.de/en/.
Jean Sutherland is the owner of
the informative website http://www.spasoftheworld.com/europe/germany.htm
& http://www.spasoftheworld.com/spas/index.html
She has worked in the travel industry
for over 10 years and lived in
Mexico for 3 years. Please also
look at the Mexican Animal Shelter
site she supports. http://www.anitasanimals.com
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