Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest and, in Germany, it is called Wiesn. Volksfest can be translated as beer festival and travelling funfair. It is a very famous and important festival for the Bavarians. It has its origins in the year 1810. The very first Oktoberfest was a little bit different. The original Oktoberfest was a horse-race and the people liked it so much, that it became a annual event in September. Over the years, the festival changed from the horse-race to a drinking beer event.
Every year in Munich, there is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October. Approximately more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modelled after the original Munich event.
If you are on a Oktoberfest, you definitely should order “eine Maß Bier.”
“Maß” means that you will get one liter of beer. Half a liter of beer is called “Halbe” (or “Hoibe” in Bavarian). And when you are hungry, you also should eat pork, chicken or oxen. The Roast pork is usually served with dumplings made from potato-dough and a very hearty sauce. The same goes for the oxen. A very popular Bavarian snack is half a chicken. The important thing is the skin of the chicken, which is extremely well-spiced and should always be very crispy. In Bavarian it is calles “a hoibads Hendl”.