Oktoberfest (redirected from Ein prosit)

Oktoberfest

Annual festival in Munich, Germany, lasting two weeks and ending on the first Sunday of October. It began in 1810 as a horse race celebrating the wedding of the crown prince of Bavaria, later King Louis I (1786–1868). The race was soon combined with the state agricultural fair, and food and drink were offered. In the late 20th century the Munich breweries celebrated Oktoberfest by setting up large temporary beer halls, each seating 3,000–5,000 people, and hiring bands to entertain the crowds as they ate and drank. Total beer consumption during the festival exceeds a million gallons.

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Oktoberfest

Late September through early October

The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810, in honor of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Saxony-Hildburghausen. Since that time it has become, above all else, a celebration of German beer. The Lord Mayor of Munich, Germany, opens the first barrel, and the 16-day festival begins. Both citizens and tourists flock to this event, which is marked by folk costume parades in which brewery horses draw floats and decorated beer wagons through the streets. Oktoberfest celebrations modeled on the German festival are also held in cities throughout the United States.

CONTACTS:
Munich Tourist Office
Sendlinger St. 1
Munich, D-80331 Germany
49-89-233-96-500; fax: 49-89-233-30-233
www.muenchen.de/home/60093/Homepage.html

SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 182
BkFest-1937, p. 137
BkHolWrld-1986, Sep 21
FestWestEur-1958, p. 72
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 86