O’Zapft Is! Why Oktoberfest Matters

The month of October is host to perhaps the most famous beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest. This festival, which originated in Munich, Germany in 1810, is the world’s largest Volksfest and is attended by around six million people each year.

The festival lasts for between 16 and 18 days, starts in September and ends during the first weekend of October.

The first Oktoberfest took place on 12 October 1810 when crown prince Ludwig I (who later became king) married princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. All citizens of the city of Munich were invited to attend the wedding festivities which included horse races and took place on the fields outside the city gates. These fields were named (‘Theresa’s fields’) in honour of the princess and are today known by its abbreviated name .

The decision to repeat the horse races the next year gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest.

From its beginning, the event was intended to be an inclusive affair, a festival for all of Bavaria. In 1811, an agricultural show was added to the horse races to boost Bavaria’s agriculture. The show still takes place every three years during Oktoberfest, but the horse races were discontinued long ago.

In 1818, the first carousel was added to the festivities, and beer stands become a regular feature. Breweries formally became part of the festival in 1887.

In 1896, the beer stands made way for the first beer tents and beer halls and various breweries started participating on a large scale by means of sponsorships. Outside the beer tents, the festival site became a proper fairground with more carousels being added regularly.

Since the city of Munich took control of the Oktoberfest in 1819, it has only been cancelled a few times, mainly because of health risks or war. In 1854 and 1873, festivities were cancelled because of cholera epidemics; in 1866 and 1870 because of war. There were also no festivities during the first and second World War.

In 1881, stalls selling bratwurst made their first appearance and 1892 became the first year of selling beer in glass mugs.

Over time, the festival developed its own customs and traditions, which include parades, traditional costumes and dances and – of course – food and beer.

Since 1950, Oktoberfest has started at noon of the first day with a 12-gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of ” by the mayor of Munich. Once he or she has knocked the tap into the keg, the phrase “” is used to indicate the drinking can begin. The first beer is served to the minister-president of the state of Bavaria.

Although Oktoberfest started in Munich and is to this day an integral part of Bavarian culture, it is developing into a global event with many cities the world over putting on their own festivities.

Namibia’s version of Oktoberfest started 60 years ago and has become one of the country’s most popular cultural events. Whilst it provides a touch-point with traditional Bavarian entertainment such as the ” and the dress code of ” and ”, much of the festivities are uniquely Namibian.

Festivals are important cultural events that help develop, define and maintain a culture. They provide much-needed social spaces that help us to understand, investigate and negotiate each other’s cultures.

Every year there is evidence that no matter what language you speak at home, you’ll find and that will fit and make you feel at home.

Beer is of course a very effective social lubricant and once a year I feel it is completely in order to celebrate its role in our nation’s history and future. After all, humans, unlike oil and water, are not immiscible, and Oktoberfest is proof of it.

The arduous task of building requires beer, if the late Frank Zappa is to be believed. “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline – it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer”.

There is a whole food culture around Oktoberfest – locally and internationally. Expect traditional Bavarian fare, but with plenty of local twists to suit local palates. The local , , , , , , and might sound like a menu straight from Munich but the truth is we put our own local spin on them a long time ago. And best of all, through bratwurst, we still maintain a cultural link to the very origins of this event all the way back in 1881. The world is an integrated place, and over time Oktoberfest food has become Namibian food, and that, in my mind, is a good thing.

This week’s recipe is straight from an Oktoberfest somewhere, anywhere where they sell roast chicken (). I love it because it is simple to make and uncomplicated to cook. You can spit roast it on your braai or rotisserie it in your oven. If you are that way inclined, you can even cook it squatting rather precariously on a half-drunken beer can in your oven.

Prost!

The festival lasts for between 16 and 18 days, starts in September and ends during the first weekend of October.

The first Oktoberfest took place on 12 October 1810 when crown prince Ludwig I (who later became king) married princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. All citizens of the city of Munich were invited to attend the wedding festivities which included horse races and took place on the fields outside the city gates. These fields were named Theresienwiese (‘Theresa’s fields’) in honour of the princess and are today known by its abbreviated name ‘Wies’n’.

The decision to repeat the horse races the next year gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest.

From its beginning, the event was intended to be an inclusive affair, a festival for all of Bavaria. In 1811, an agricultural show was added to the horse races to boost Bavaria’s agriculture. The show still takes place every three years during Oktoberfest, but the horse races were discontinued long ago.

In 1818, the first carousel was added to the festivities, and beer stands become a regular feature. Breweries formally became part of the festival in 1887.

In 1896, the beer stands made way for the first beer tents and beer halls and various breweries started participating on a large scale by means of sponsorships. Outside the beer tents, the festival site became a proper fairground with more carousels being added regularly.

In 1881, stalls selling bratwurst made their first appearance and 1892 became the first year of selling beer in glass mugs.

Over time, the festival developed its own customs and traditions, which include parades, traditional costumes and dances and – of course – food and beer.

Since 1950, Oktoberfest has started at noon of the first day with a 12-gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of ‘festbeer’ by the mayor of Munich. Once he or she has knocked the tap into the keg, the phrase “o’zapft is!” is used to indicate the drinking can begin. The first beer is served to the minister-president of the state of Bavaria.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.