Munich: Oktoberfest

    Last year my friend Karis invited me to Oktoberfest in Chattanooga. I asked her what it was, and when she said it was a German festival and explained that there was generally a lot of drinking, but we'd be going for the cultural aspects, I had to refuse. I just didn't feel comfortable going to a festival where one of the main forms of entertainment was drinking. So imagine my surprise when the Adventist seminary school I attend told me we'd be attending the Oktoberfest. I was a little confused, but not uncomfortable. Knowing we had the blessing of our school made me feel at ease. Besides, from what I had heard, all of the drinking took place in large tents and the rest of the festival was a relatively family-friendly event. 

    But you can't go to Oktoberfest dressed in any odd outfit. The women wear dirndls, and the men wear lederhosen. I already thought it would be neat to buy a dirndl since I am Austrian and German by blood. But it is very pricey to get a dirndl that is more than just a polyester, "Spirit Halloween" costume. Yet, Karis, Makena, Florencia, and I (the four girls in the Language School), were determined. On Wednesday we went thrift shopping in Braunau am Inn.  The first thrift store was a huge bust, but the second one was a gold mine. 

   There were dozens of dirndls to try on. I grabbed a couple that I thought were fairly cute, but when I went to try them on, one of the girls stuck another one in my dressing room. This one was different. Most of the dirndls were modern. They were shorter and had a gaudier, festival-ish look to them. However, this one was an old, floor-length green dress with leaves embroidered down the bodice. It had tarnished silver buttons and puffy lace sleeves. It was much simpler than the other dresses, but far more beautiful. I decided to try it on first. 

    It fit me perfectly. Cheesy as it may sound, putting on that dress and seeing how well it fit, seemed like a metaphor for the fact that this was my heritage. I did belong in a dress like that. Once upon a time, my grandmothers may have worn something similar. 

    The owner of the thrift store was so kind and thought we all looked so beautiful that she decided to give us all discounts. A dress that should have been upwards of 200 euros, was only 40. What a blessing. 

    On Friday, the time came to actually wear it. Me and the other gals got all dolled up and we headed to Munich. The history of Oktoberfest is actually quite interesting. In 1810, Ludwig I, prince of Bavaria was in rebellion against the rule of Napoleon. He was determined to gain the favor of his subjects so that they would side with him over Napoleon. So, naturally, he decided to throw them a party. Oktoberfest was created as a public celebration that everyone could enjoy and featured horse races and food. The people loved the festival so much that the prince decided to make it an annual event. The following year they added farming competitions. Enough people were showing up to Oktoberfest that they had to extend it to two weeks. In 1820, they began to sell beer, and the festival's popularity grew even more. Now, it is three weeks long. In its long history, there have only been ten times when Oktoberfest was canceled. Only three of these were for extended periods. To this day, it is illegal to sell beer that is not made in Bavaria.

     I found the whole festival disappointing. I expected folk dancing, singing, and artisans creating traditional art and goods, but all it was was copy-and-paste pretzel stands, beer tents, and a few rides. The coolest thing was these two older gentlemen selling paper bird whistles. I dropped 5 euros on one. They were so sweet and they taught me how to use it. I have a weird fascination with strange instruments or gimmicks that make sound. For example, I love to annoy people by whistling with grass on hikes, last year I asked for a jaw harp for Christmas, and recently I have been fascinated with bull-roarers, so I'm not surprised this tiny piece of paper was able to make my whole trip feel worth it, but perhaps it is a bit silly. The best thing about the whistle is that you put it inside your mouth and all you need to do to make it work is smile and push out air. It's very discreet and no one can glare at you because they can't tell where the sound is coming from unless they are really close. 

   We did go into a beer tent just to see what it was like. I felt physically nauseous coming out because of the smell of alcohol and smoke. But I guess I can see why Oktoberfest would be fun if you like drinking. We were only there for an hour before we had to leave to go eat. The food was delicious, we got burgers, but we were late for our train so we had to run all the way back to the train station. What an adventure! 

    Oktoberfest or bust? I think not. Oktoberfest was a bust for me. That's not to say it wasn't a good experience. It was certainly an adventure and I had fun creating memories with my friends but the festival itself was a bit underwhelming. (Most of the media content from Oktoberfest is in video form. If you want to see the beer tent or hear my bird whistle, let me know, and I'll send you the videos.)

We girls in our Dirndls in front of a statue of the patroness of Bavaria.
Fun fact: where you tie your apron depends on your status
as single, taken, widowed, or as a virgin. 

Would it really be a German festival without a pretzel? For all my "Hoodwinked" fans out there (mom),
I couldn't stop thinking of the Woodsman this entire day. That man shaped my view of Germany
and honestly what I learned from that movie isn't even that far off. People are ferrel for schnitzels.  


Munich from above.

The beer tent. See my skeptical demeanor? Was not impressed. 

This nice cook waved for the camera. 

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