Oktoberfest is an annual Bavarian harvest festival. It is a two-week party around the fall equinox when people eat, drink, dress in traditional costumes, and dance the polka. Oktoberfest is major tourist draw and money maker for the area, especially Munich, the largest city in Bavaria. The festival grounds in Munich encompass 103 acres, and host fourteen festival halls. (These halls,also known as "beer tents," are permanent structures that hold from 3,500 to 10,000 people each and have a total seating capacity for 100,000!).
See a diagram and photos of the halls here: http://www.theoktoberfest.com/HTML/index.html
The minor details at the Munich Oktoberfest include innumerable food vendors, and 200 sideshows, carnival rides and other amusements. Six million visitors were expected at the 2009 Oktoberfest, netting more than 450 million Euros for the southern-German economy.
The origin of Oktoberfest was the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig (later Ludwig I), who married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen October 12, 1810. The gala affair ended with horse races for the royal family. The horse races were repeated the following year along with an agricultural show, and an annual festival was created. Over the years, many of the traditions of Oktoberfest drifted away, for example the horse races ceased in about 1960, and what remained were costumes, food, and, of course, beer.
The Fogelson Library’s weekly Dinner & a Movie display has suggestions for an Oktoberfest theme. We have a few cookbooks with recipes from the Bavaria region, and also on display are a couple of American cookbooks with German roots. This week’s featured movies include:
German operas by Wagner and Berg
German operas by Wagner and Berg
German directors Wim Wenter, Werner Herzog,
and Fritz Lang
Come by and take a look.
If you are interested in more information about Oktoberfest, check out:
and Peitzsch, Inge. G'lebt is glei (Make the most of life: Bavarian festivities, Bavarian customs), call number GT4850 .A3 B38613 1981, upstairs at Fogelson Library.
