Every year, for over two hundred years, there is a beer festival in Germany (or a beer festival, whatever) - Oktoberfest. What can you say about this holiday? This is the most beer and the most massive holiday on the planet. After all, about 6-7 million people - beer fans from all countries - visit this holiday every year.
Holiday Oktoberfest
And now all in order about the Oktoberfest beer festival. As already mentioned, the history of the holiday counts for two hundred years now. For the first time such an action was held in mid-October 1810. And the reason for this was the wedding ceremony of the Crown Prince and Princess Theresa of Saxony. In honor of the young, a great celebration was held with the participation of the cavalry guards and the army of Bavaria. The holiday lasted a week and was very much liked by the king. In a fit of feelings, he ordered a meadow, on which a mass celebration took place, to be named in honor of the bride, and the festival itself to be held annually.
Here, in the meadow of Theresienwiese, the October folk festivities (a translation from the German Oktoberfest) continue to this day. Here is the first landmark: where does Oktoberfest take place? - in Munich, in the meadow of Theresa.
Oktoberfest Dates
Now another, temporary, landmark - when the Oktoberfest passes. In those distant times it was October 12 (in some sources-October 17). Several times the holiday had to be canceled for various reasons. Since 1904 it became a tradition to hold a festival in late September - early October (in Munich at this time, more favorable weather). Therefore, when going to Oktoberfest, remember the dates: the beginning of the festival is the 20th of September, the duration is two weeks. But the end of the holiday is a tradition that is strictly observed - the last Sunday of a beer fairy must certainly be in October.
Holding the holiday itself is also associated with the observance of a number of traditions. Undoubtedly, on the opening day, at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, the Chief Burgomaster of Munich uncork the first barrel with the exclamation "Uncapped!". This action is accompanied by a twelve-times cannon ball - the holiday has begun! And before the opening ceremony of the first barrel, the procession of the hosts of beer tents, which are set in the meadow of Theresa. It should be noted that in Oktoberfest, according to the rules of the festival, only Munich breweries can take part. Each of these breweries has its own tent, the management of which, often, becomes a long-standing family tradition. Each tent (brewery) has its own characteristics. For example, from real oak barrels, beer is bottled only in the Augustiner tent. In other breweries use metal barrels, sheathed boards. The Fischer tent is famous for cooking Bavarian delicacy - fish (usually trout) baked on a stick. There is an unusual tradition associated with this tent - on the second Monday of the festival sexual minorities gather here. And thanks to the world-famous brand of beer Hofbrau, the most popular beer tent among tourists is a tent precisely from this brewery. It is also the largest tent at the festival and covers an area of 7000 sq.m.
A few interesting facts. For two weeks Oktoberfest "drinks" about 7 million (!) Liters of beer, "eats" about 600,000 sausages and the same number of fried chicken, 65 thousand pigs, fried on a spit 84 bull.
Not everyone knows that the Oktoberfest is held in Berlin . Here also the main component of the holiday is delicious beer. And in addition to it - kilometers of fried sausages and gingerbread, which, often do not eat, but leave as a souvenir.
Wherever the Oktoberfest is held - in Munich or Berlin - it always remains a special holiday for the soul and body.
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