The Deutsche Experience (2/2)

The state of Bavaria (in South East Germany) has been on my bucket list since a year. Its main attractions are the Bavarian Alps and the city of Munich. On our first visit to Munich, we got a chance to attend the largest celebration of Bavarian culture: the Oktoberfest. The largest public festival in the world kicked off after a two-year hiatus, and the opening day drew a crowd like never before!

The Oktoberfest, locally called d’Wiesn, celebrates Bavarian tradition with delicious food, Munich beer and a huge carnival. It has been held in Munich since 1810 and is mainly known for its beer. Other cities across the world hold similar celebrations that are modelled after the original Oktoberfest. We reached Munich early in the morning for the opening day, and the crowd was just starting to fill in.

Oktoberfest 2022

We all laugh about how Oktoberfest is celebrated in September instead, but one of the reasons is that the weather is a little tolerable in September. This time, however, sunshine betrayed Munich almost everyday during the Oktoberfest. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if they shift it to summer in the coming years. The sun peeped in for about half an hour on the opening day, only to be replaced by greys. The cold and rainy weather couldn’t dampen the Bavarians’ spirit one bit. While we were struggling to keep our eyes open due to the winds and low temperature, the locals were dancing and posing in their traditional costumes: dirndl and lederhosen.

We saw many people waiting patiently along the road. We asked a local what was happening, and he told us they were all waiting for “the parade”. We hadn’t read much about the festivities so we were really excited for the opening parade. The parade of the landlords and breweries started off with a bang, with the police and locals leading the way. What followed was a procession of horse-drawn carriages of Munich breweries and carriages of the landlords of the beer tents. All these decorated carriages reminded me of the Indian Republic Day parade (although this was on a much smaller scale). The mayor of Munich was sitting in the carriage of the Schottenhamel tent, where he was to tap the first barrel of beer at noon. The parade was applauded by a sudden downpour which drove us all indoors.

Parade

We entered the nearest beer tent to escape the downpour, but this tent turned out to be one of Munich’s oldest and most famous breweries: Hofbräu. The tent was GIGANTIC, and almost reminded me of the huge magical tents in the Quidditch World Cup (in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). We had not prebooked a table, so we were just observers. The real fun began at noon: someone exclaimed “O’zapft is!” (It is tapped) while tapping the first barrel of beer. The waitresses started running around with more than 12-13 litres of beer, whistling away till the beers reached the thirsty customers. On reading more about it, I found out that they practice for months to make sure they don’t spill any beer while maintaining their speed. They get paid handsomely, and why not, for they sure were the real heroes of Oktoberfest. The atmosphere was electric but we left before the crowd got rowdy.

Beer Tents

So, shall I give my honest opinion? Since I’m not a heavy beer drinker, in the beginning I didn’t know what the fuss was all about. Coming from India, we’re often used to grand celebrations. But in a culture where a wedding has less than 50 guests, a festival attended by millions is a huge deal. Moreover, the Bavarian enthusiasm was infectious. I didn’t understand their language, but happiness doesn’t need Google translate! The twinkle in their eyes, the huge smiles, the laughter echoing in the beer tents, the spring in their steps all made one thing crystal clear to me: this was never just about the beer! They were celebrating their culture with a hint of relief; the relief of getting to relive this celebration after 3 long years.

There are times when I feel like an outsider¹ in Germany, but I have immense respect for their nationalism. Germans take pride in their culture! This is a country that was reunified a little over 30 years ago, a country where generations are still struggling to pick up the pieces after their horrific history. Their path to self-discovery is inspiring. There’s so much more to Germany than beer and football; and if the path to experiencing their culture starts with feeling like an outsider, then my journey has just begun!