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******
On October 12, 1810,
Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King
Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese 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 since taken the name
Theresienwiese , or Theresa's fields, in honor of the Crown Princess,
although the locals abbreviate the name to simply the Wiesn. 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 continued in 1811 with an added feature of the first
Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. Thus started the
tradition which was to become known universally as Oktoberfest. The horse
races, which were the oldest and 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.
A carousel and two swings were introduced to the Oktoberfest in 1818.
Visitors were also able to quench their thirst at small beer stands which
grew rapidly in number. The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a
fun-fair. By the 1870s, the range of carousels and other amusements was
increasing rapidly and the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany.
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 2000 ~ the 167th celebration of the Oktoberfest tradition.
Over 6 million visitors from around the world are expected to converge on the
Theresienwiese this year making Oktoberfest the largest festival in the world!
The locals still refer to Oktoberfest as the "Wiesn", and as they
might say "Wilkommen zum Wiesn" ~ "Welcome to
Oktoberfest!"
A few important events for Oktoberfest 2000 in Germany:
Sept 16, Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries, the official
prelude to the opening of the Oktoberfest. Parading along
Sonnenstraße-Schwanthalerstraße to the Oktoberfest grounds, the procession
begins at 11 am and includes 1,000
participants featuring the landlords' families in decorated carriages, magnificent
horse-drawn drays of the Munich
breweries, beermaids on decorated floats and all the beer tent bands.
Sept 16, Oktoberfest Folklore International at the Circus Krone building,
Marsstraße 43, beginning at 8 pm. Organized in cooperation with the Süddeutsche
Zeitung, this 2 and 1/2 hour show under the ornate dome of the Circus Krone
building features 600 selected dancers, singers, and musicians from the
Costume Procession
Sept 17, Oktoberfest Costume and Riflemen's Parade from the Maximilianstraße
through the streets of the city center to the Oktoberfest grounds. This
world-famous parade is traditionally the first Sunday parade of Oktoberfest
and begins at 10 am and lasts about
and features a diversity of customs from the German states of Bavaria,
Franconia, and Swabia, and from
neighboring countries. Also featured are marchers in historical military
uniforms, marching bands, riflemen, thoroughbred horses, oxen, cows, goats,
decorated drays of the Munich breweries, floats displaying typical local
traditions and historic carriages in a 7-kilometerHope you enjoyed the little
history of Oktoberfest. For more information on Oktoberfest and other German
and Austrian festivals, visit the website of local German folkdance teachers,
Herb and Carol Traxler, at http://www.geocities.com/caroltraxler/events.html.
But, no net surfing can substitute for
experiencing the music, singing, and dancing of Oktoberfest, and it's all
available in our area! Click on my Dance Calendar for class and event
schedules.
long procession through the streets of the city
center. Ribboned trees, harvest garlands, craftsmen's tools from bygone days,
harvest produce, dancers decorated with flowers, stars and crowns, trumpeters
on horseback, flag-throwers and a host of other performers transform this
traditional Munich procession
into a brilliant highlight on the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest.
******
Hope you enjoyed the little history of Oktoberfest. For more information on
Oktoberfest and other German and Austrian festivals, visit the website of
local Germanjdance and cultural groups
In the words to the most popular song of the
festivals --
"Ein prosit, ein prosit, der
gemeutlichkeit!
"Ein prosit, ein prosit , der
gemeutlichkeit!
Ein, zwei, drei, Gsuffa!!!"
See you on the beer hall dance floor!
--fin--
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