09 Mar 2008 03:50:23 | Jane Roseen
The first Oktoberfest was held on Ocotber 12, 1810, in Munich to
celebrate the wedding of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess
Maria Teresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich
were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in
front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The
fields have been named Theresienwiese - Theresa's fields - in
honor of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals have
since abbreviated the name simply to the "Wies'n". Horse races
in the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the
event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of
Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the
subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest.
The festival was dedicated to the fall harvest and to the
Regions most famous product, beer. Tradesman and merchants came
throughout Germany to join in the merry-making. They examined
the crops, sang songs, danced and sampled the first beer of the
season. The celebration was such a success that Ludwig issued a
royal Decree making October festival time in Munich. The horse
races, which were the oldest and - at one time - the most
popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the
Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the
Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds.
In the first few decades the choice of amusements was sparse.
The first carousel and two swings were set up in 1818. Visitors
were able to quench their thirst at small beer stands which grew
rapidly in number. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the
first beer tents and halls set up by enterprising landlords with
the backing of the breweries.
Oktoberfest Today
Oktoberfest 2005 celebrates it's 172nd year. Oktoberfest is the
largest festival in the world, with 6 million visitors from
around the world attending the Munich Oktoberfest each year.
Each year, these attendees consume more than 5 million liters of
beer and over 200,000 pork sausages, as well as large quantities
of traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken) and
sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox
tails.
Only six Munich breweries are allowed to serve beer at
Oktoberfest - Löwenbräu, Spaten, Augustiner (pictured right),
Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr. Each Bierzelte (beer
"tents") hold some 3,000-10,000 people. There are currently 14
main tents at the Oktoberfest. A special Oktoberfest beer is
brewed for the occasion which is slightly darker and stronger,
in both taste and alcohol.
The festivities are accompanied by a program of events,
including the Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and
Breweries, the Costume and Riflemen's Procession, and a concert
involving all the brass bands represented at the "Wies'n".
And since the Oktoberfest is still held on the Theresienwiese,
the locals still refer to the event simply as the "Wies'n". So
"welcome to the Wies'n" means nothing other than "Welcome to the
Oktoberfest"!
About Author :
Jane S. Roseen became the sole Owner and President of Harmony
Sweets in 2005. Since then she has taken a small, successful
online gourmet chocolate shop and made it a name recognized
world-wide. Harmony Sweets' original mission focused on
individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around
the world for their friends and relatives. Roseen expanded that
mission to include corporate gift-giving.
