Lovers of beer and good food rejoice in advance. After a two-year hiatus due to the health crisis, Oktoberfest has returned to its birthplace in Munich, Bavaria, and this 187th edition will be held from September 17 to October 3, 2022 inclusive. For the many visitors (six million in 2019), it is an opportunity to discover the different customs of the Land, but also to taste the authentic flavors of the land, between sausage orgies, Leberkäse (Bavarian meatloaf) and other typical dishes.
But do you know the origin of the biggest Oktoberfest? Because few people will know that the German “October party” mostly takes place… in September. Do the few days of October justify a celebration in their name? So it seems if we go back to the origins of this popular festival.
Originally, a royal wedding celebration
Oktoberfest was born with the marriage of the future King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen, celebrated on October 12, 1810. To show their bonds with their subjects, the future sovereigns organized five days of public festivities. to the public. They begin with a particularly large horse-racing meadow under the walls of Munich, which later became known as the Theresienwiese. Meals and alcoholic beverages are distributed to the residents of the city. The success is such that there are several tens of thousands of participants for the first edition, that the celebration will be repeated.
In a context where beer festivals are already widespread in the region, the event not only tends to become a major celebration, but also to strengthen the sense of Bavarian unity. The volume of liters of beer consumed during the publications has exploded. Since 1896, the first large tents for the breweries that the event is now known for have been growing on the Theresienwiese.
Rare cancellations
Although horse racing finally disappeared in 1938, the festivities continued. Horses are replaced by merry-go-rounds, and the event becomes a real open-air fair. During its more than 200 years of existence, the “October Party” was canceled only about twenty times. Each edition attracts an average of six to seven million visitors. The popularity of the event is such that many countries now organize their own Oktoberfest, such as France or Spain.
What about the current schedule? For several decades, the festivities have been moved to September to take advantage of the last sweetness of summer. But tradition wants them to be extended at least until the first Sunday of October. If it falls on the 1st or 2nd, the celebration is extended to October 3rd, the anniversary of German reunification. Enough to break beer consumption records. On average, it absorbs more than 6.5 million liters per release.
Source: Le Figaro
