Thursday, September 25, 2008

Thursday Thirteen: Oktoberfest!

Since Oktoberfest started last Saturday here in Munich, we thought that this week we would bring you:

13 Things About Oktoberfest

  1. Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and running to early October.

  2. Oktoberfest 2008 runs from September 20th to October 5th.

  3. Oktoberfest called "Oktober"-fest when it actually begins in September for historical reasons. The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.

    By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.

  4. Oktoberfest is held on an the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese, the princess mentioned above), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

  5. Oktoberfestbiers are the beers that have been served at the event in Munich since 1818, and are supplied by 6 Munich breweries known as the Big Six: Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.

  6. Beer is typically served as a Maß, which is one litre (or 2 pints).

  7. There are 14 main beer tents, with ownership split across the 6 breweries mentioned above from Munich.

  8. (Food served during Oktoberfest is mostly traditional Bavarian fare such as Hendlchicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstel (sausages) along with Brezel (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage).

  9. Many Bavarian visitors to Oktoberfest wear Trachten - traditional Bavarian clothes: Lederhosen for men, and Dirndl for women. A Dirndl consists of a top and blouse, wide skirt and a colourful apron.

  10. There is more to Oktoberfest than just beer and food. There are carnival rides, parades, and live music.

  11. In 2007, there were 6.2 million visitors to Oktoberfest.

  12. In 2007, appoximately 69.406 hl of beer were served, along with 1.269 hl of non-alcoholic beer.

  13. Oktoberfest is a lot of fun, and is the largest fair in the world.

24 comments

Chance said...

Mommie iz furry jelus uv yur beans. She sed wun yeer she will gets ta go to Oktoberfest. Hav funs at da festival an ask yur beans ta drink a Spaten fur mai Mommie pweese. It wuld mayk her happies fur anudder yeer. Hehehe.

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

Our mum says thank you because she always wondered why it was called Oktoberfest when it was in September.

Monty Q. Kat said...

I'm sorry, you lost me at roast pork! Mmmmm...

Us4 Cats said...

i just came for the cute kitty photos myself, lol.

Babs (Beetle) said...

Hope you have a lot of fun at the festival.

Purrs, Sukie x

LZ said...

Cool! The LL misses beer since she can't have gluten. Although last night she had some very tasty gluten free beer!

Kaze

Shaggy and Scout said...

We always learn something from you DH.
We were wondering about the September part of the deal too.

Gemini and Ichiro said...

Oh it sounds wonderful. We have an Oktoberfest here--in Leavenworth. I believe Miss Peach will be going!

Dragonheart, are you having a beer?

Eduardo said...

Wow! That's really cool! Enjoy your Oktoberfest!
Hugs & Snugs
Eduardo the Snuggle Puggle

Daisy said...

I sure wish they had Oktoberfest where I live. It sounds fun!

The Meezers or Billy said...

fish on a stick sounds good

jenianddean said...

That sounds like a lot of fun, and a lot different than the Oktoberfest that Mom and Dad went to at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. I think the Hendlchicken sounds yummy, but only because all I really see is chicken.
--Jasper

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

That was really interesting and we learned a whole lot that we didn't know...thank you for sharing...

purrrssss
Abby

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

Meowm says now she wants to go to Octoberfest!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Hmmm fish on sticks? Dat would make ems easier to catch!

Anonymous said...

o0h wow and you guyz get to have funz too!??! wicked!

Momma hates the smell of beer on people though she says it smells like urine when it comes through the skins...
I don't think that smell is bad.. I don't know what is wrong with my Momma sometimes!.. hrrphm

V-V

The Devil Dog said...

All that fod is making me hungry. It all sounds yummy. It is good that there is more to it than beer, as mom, (horrors) doesn't like beer!
You can have hers!

Roxy

Milton said...

Ooooooooo!
Weisswurst, Pretzel, Mustard & Beer!

*Droool*
I gettin' really hungry (and a bit jealous)

---Beezer's mombean

Jans Funny Farm said...

That sounds like a fun festival. The food sounds mmmmm-mmmmm good!

Mickey's Musings said...

Oh boy ,that sounds fun!!! I think Mom is jealous,heehee
Sausages!!Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!
Purrs Mickey

michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...

Oah My~!
What fun!
I wanna be there, too!

Sunny's Mommy said...

I thought it was just beer and food. That's what I'd go for. Your post has made me hungry now!

Anonymous said...

Brezel! Brezel with pumpkin seeds is what DKM brings home from the farmer's markets.

TorAa said...

The October fiest is really reknowned here in Norway as well. Some breweries even makes special "Oktober" beer.
yodilooodilooo