What is the origin of the Oktoberfest celebration and why is beer drunk?

It is the largest folk festival in the world and one that Germans look forward to the most. This is Oktoberfest, a celebration that attracts millions of visitors to Germany.

The inventor of this annual festival that welcomes about six million visitors is said to have been Andreas Michael Dall’Armi, a member of the Bavarian National Guard, according to the site. Oktoberfest.de. The civil official wanted to celebrate a slightly different wedding between Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

The wedding, which took place on October 12, 1810, came a year after a suppressed uprising in a neighboring province. To establish a sense of unity throughout the Bavarian state, the family invited approximately 40,000 citizens to participate in the celebration, which took place at the gates of Munich and lasted several days, ending on October 17 with a great horse race that impressed those in attendance.

It is said that this precedent marked the birth of Oktoberfest, as citizens wanted a similar celebration the following year. But without the royal wedding, the festival needed a new organizer.

Live music and chef schools dueling at Oktoberfest, party and German gastronomy from Friday, September 29 to Thursday, October 12 at the Hilton Colón

The Bavarian Agricultural Association started a new cycle of festivities, which provided the association with an opportunity to showcase its products. After the Napoleonic Wars, Oktoberfest became a top priority. In 1824, the city of Munich awarded Andreas Michael Dall’Armi the first civilian gold medal for “inventing” Oktoberfest.

Every year, the onset of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere signals the time for Oktoberfest, also known as the Oktober Festival. Oktoberfest 2023 will be held from September 16 to October 3 and approximately six million visitors are expected from around the world. The annual celebration is reminiscent of beer mugs and pretzels. But why do we drink so much beer on this holiday?

Although beer is crucial to modern Oktoberfest celebrations, the drink was not prominent in the festival’s early years. In fact, beer and food stalls were not added until 1818, eight years after the first celebration took place. When the Munich city council took over management of the Oktoberfest in 1819 and expanded the festival to include events such as parades, agricultural shows and carousels, the beer stalls evolved into larger tents and halls, supported by breweries, to better meet the demand for alcoholic soft drinks .

He Oktoberfest Munich Today it has 38 beer and food stores, large and small, serving beer from six local breweries: Augustiner, Hacker Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten.