Oktoberfest

Well, it's that time of year again. The weather is getting cooler and I'm craving more stouts, porters & Oktoberfest beers. Hopefully, I'll get to attend an Oktoberfest this year. But what is Oktoberfest and why do we celebrate it? Well, here's a little information that helps explain the orgin of Oktoberfest...
Oktoberfest is an annual fall festival which takes place in Munich, Germany. It isassociated with the consumption of large amounts of beer and traditional German foods, along with general merrymaking. With a few exceptions due to wars, Germans have celebrated Oktoberfest every year since 1810, although the early version of the event was dramatically different than the modern incarnation. Many communities with a large German population host their own versions of Oktoberfest everyyear, encouraging people to celebrate German heritage and join together in fellowship. The first Oktoberfest was actually a horse race, held to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I and his wife Therese Saxe-Hildburghausen. The race was such a success that the Germans decided to repeat the event, adding a fair as well, and slowly but steadily, beer entered the mix, eventually becoming themajor feature of Oktoberfest. The horse races were dropped in the middle of the 20th century, but it is still possible to purchase a wide range of crafts at the fair, when it happens at the same time as Oktoberfest. The center of modern Oktoberfest is Theresienwiese, “the field of Therese.” Large tents are erected on the field by many famous German breweries, who serve beer which is enjoyed byattendants of the event. The tents also typically have bands playing German music, and people can wander around tasting different beers, listening to music, eating classic German and Bavarian foods, and looking at traditional crafts. Many people also like to dress in traditional Bavarian costume when they attend Oktoberfest, to get into the spirit of things. One of the most distinctive features ofOktoberfest is a dark, rich beer called Maß, which is traditionally served in quarter gallon (one liter) tankards. The price of this beer is often a topic of discussion among aficionados of the event; it can be an indicator of general economic health, and price hikes are of course always a subject for complaint. The event opens with the Mayor of Munich ceremonially tapping a keg of Maß, and itlasts for 16 days. During Oktoberfest, huge crowds descend upon Munich, making it the largest fair in the world.
From Wisegeek

Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, is held annually in Munich, Germany. The 16-day party attracts over 6 million people every year who consume 1.5 million gallons of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage, and 480,000 spit-roasted chickens during the two-weekextravaganza. While the event reinforces stereotypical images of beer-loving, meat-loving Germans dressed in dirndls and lederhosen, visitors to the annual event come from all over the world. Oktoberfest is in fact one of Munich's largest and most profitable tourist attractions. It brings over 450 million euros to the city's coffers each year. The folk festival has given its name to similar festivalsworldwide that are at least in part modeled after the original Bavarian Oktoberfest. The largest Oktoberfest held outside of Germany takes place each year in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo in Canada, where a large ethnic German population resides. The largest such event in the United States is Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati in Ohio, which boasts half a million visitors each year.
History ofOktoberfest
The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a horse race.

Anniversary celebrations were...