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Most of us will be able to associate Oktoberfest with kegs of beer and great German fare. But more than just merrymaking, this German festival is also steeped in tradition. Besides, did you know we just celebrated Oktoberfest right at our own backyard Singapore River bank?
Well, you do now.
Attracting more than 6 million people in Munich every year, Oktoberfest is undeniably the biggest beer festival in the world. This festival started in October 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony.
Now, Oktoberfest is held for 16 days starting late September to early October at Theresienwiese - a park named after Princess Therese.
The festival is kicked off by the lord mayor of Munich tapping the first keg of beer accompanied by the exclamation, “O’zapft is!” (meaning “It’s tapped!” in Bavarian). Only after this ceremony can the rest of the festival-goers start drinking.
Festival-goers get to tuck in to German fare such as Sauerkraut and pork knuckles in a Bierzelt (beer tent) that has rows of tables and old-fashioned benches. There are 14 tents in all; each having its own appeal. For instance, Schottenhamel is where the mayor taps the first keg, while Käfers Wiesen Schänke has exceptionally good food.
Okay, so what makes Oktoberfest different from buying a bunch of 6-packs and emptying those beer cans with your soccer buddies? Well, simply put, Oktoberfest takes beer drinking to a whole new level.
Firstly, instead of 300ml cans, think kegs of beer tapped into huge mugs. Maßkrug (say 'moss kroogh'), as the mug is called in German, is a 1-litre beer stein that is used during Oktoberfest.
Before you start getting excited about the prospect of guzzling beer by the litre, be forewarned that a good tolerance of alcohol is needed. Oktoberfest beer is specially brewed for the occasion. It is darker, more intense in flavour and contains 6-6.5 percent of alcohol (as compared to the usual 5 percent).
With all that beer, you would not expect this festival to be a sombre (or sober) one. The atmosphere is livened up with band music, and tabletop dancing is a common sight. For the brave-hearted, there are also beer drinking competitions where you can show your drinking prowess.
More than food and beer, there are also parades that add to the festivities, such as the entry of the Oktoberfest landlords and breweries prior to the opening of the festival and The Costume und Riflemen’s Procession, which is a parade that covers an impressive 7km.
As we can see, Oktoberfest in Munich is certainly a vibrant and colourful one.
There are Oktoberfest celebrations all over the world as well. Countries include Canada, Brazil and Australia. After all, who can pass up on a chance to eat, drink and be merry?
Fortunately, we can also get a taste of Oktoberfest here, yes, in tiny island Singapore.
The Erdinger Oktoberfest is probably one of the biggest beer celebrations here. Running for the third year, the event was held from 23-28 October 2007 at Merchant Loop, starting with an Opening Street Parade on 23rd October 2007.
The Erdinger Oktoberfest is definitely much smaller in scale compared to the Munich event. However, the spirit of Oktoberfest is still captured in this celebration. Munich band, Huttenpower, flew in just for the event.
The keg tapping ceremony was also carried out and the more outgoing among us do enjoy tabletop dancing. Like the Munich event, there are also barmaids to add to the atmosphere. You can be sure that beer makes people of all nationalities happy.
Perhaps one difference would be the lack of the 1-litre beer steins in Erdinger Oktoberfest. A ticket entitles you to a Bavarian set dinner and a 500 ml Erdinger beer. This may prove disappointing to some, but there is always the beer drinking competition for those who want to get their fill.
Essentially, the appeal of Oktoberfest is its ability to bring people together to enjoy good food and of course, beer. Even though it may be celebrated differently in various countries, it gives Germans reason to celebrate and the rest of us, an excuse to join in too. hooked
Pictures credited to:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Germany/Munich/Oktoberfest
http://www.theoktoberfest.com/HTML/masskrug/index.html
http://www.sistic.com.sg
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