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Festivals comprise important segments of the society. They are celebrations of specific events and features of the subject community. Festivals are joyous moments which entail the participation of several people. The celebrations are representative of the cultural aspects of the given community, and food forms an intrinsic part of festivals. Consequently, many festivals are celebrated after or during harvest time. Several festivals are associated with harvest in practice today such as the Oktoberfest.
History of the Festival
Oktoberfest is a global festival that is celebrated for 14 days, and it begins in late September while ending in early October. The festival has its origins in the Bavarian culture in Germany. It began in 1810 when the King Kudwig I married Princess Therese (Lil, 2008). To mark the event, residents of Munich, Germany were invited in droves to celebrate the occasion. The festival was held on the fields that were located in front of the city’s gates. The festivals were held in a place known as Wiesn, which is the modern day abbreviation of the name that was ascribed to the married princess. The festival was marked by horse races and food. Given the successes of the festival in its year of inception, the residents sought to relive the event in the subsequent years, and that led to the birth of the Oktoberfest. The repetition of the horse races and the aplomb encouraged subsequent celebrations, which then spread to other regions. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
In 1811, the festival received several additions. A parade was included to honor the marriage of the Crown Princess in 1810 (Lil, 2008). This parade was promoted further in 1811 festival and was allowed an extensive number of individuals, which led to an increase in the number of persons that participated in the event. Alternatively, the agricultural factor in the Bavarian culture was addressed through the establishment of a show in the festival. The show was intended to display the agricultural dexterity of the Bavarians. The first beer in the festival was sold in 1892 which was 12 years after the festival had begun in Munich. Given the increased numbers of participants in the festival, the space that had been previously committed to games such as tree climbing in the beer booths was restructured to accommodate more people. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.] These changes culminated in the present day Oktoberfest, which spread to the other parts of the world such as the United States of America, Argentina, and Canada.
The use of Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest festival has a myriad implication on the celebrating community. Oktoberfest provides an opportunity for the learning and understanding of the Bavarian culture. In the festivals, individuals don garbs that are representative of the garbs that were initially donned by the Munich residents in the celebrations of the Princess’ wedding. Participants in the festival engage in activities that were reinforced in the previous generations. Oktoberfest provides an opportunity through which individuals from different communities can integrate (Lil, 2008). The festival encourages the convergence of individuals from different social and economic settings. The celebrations are marked by parades which entail the participation of different individuals.
Alternatively, Oktoberfest encourages the sharing of ideas. Different individuals participate in the Beer event. It involves the participation of professionals, students, and regular citizens and this provides a forum that encourages the transmission of ideas. This convergence further allows the determination of the evolution of present day cultures. It promotes knowledge of the participants on the issues that surround humanity. It also encourages an appreciation for one’s condition in the society irrespective of their prevailing situations. Anybody, as long as they abide by the festival’s guiding principles, can participate in the initiative. There are no cultural limitations to the event, and that has served to spread further the practice across the world irrespective of the origins of the participants.
Foods involved in the Celebrations
The Oktoberfest festival is described as a happy moment and is accompanied by several foods and drinks. Foods play an important role in festivals and ceremonies as it serves to bring people together. Food serves as a medium through which culture is revisited and promoted. The Oktoberfest is often accompanied by roast chicken dishes (Ho, 2016). In the event, chicken is roasted until it turns crispy and brown. Before roasting, the chicken is rubbed with lemon and thyme butter. The thyme and lemon serve to ensure that the chicken turns out crispy. In a home setting, the appropriate tool to be engaged would be a rotisserie, which is even more efficient than thyme and lemon. Other ingredients used in the preparation of the dish include kosher salt, pepper, a tablespoon of unsalted butter and, one and a half tablespoons of thyme leaves.
The next common food in the event is the “schweinebraten.” The Schweinebraten is a type of roast pork, which involves the use of onions and dark beer as ingredients (Sterling, 2014). The roast pork is also roasted until it becomes crispy and that greatly enhances its taste. Other ingredients in the preparation of the Bavarian roast pork include unsalted butter, baking flour, grainy mustard, fresh chopped dill, and olive oil. This serves to give the roast pork a crunchy taste upon preparation. In most of the food prepared, beer is used as an ingredient. Beer is the main beverage that is employed in the Oktoberfest festivals. There are tents that are specifically raised to provide people with a place in which they can collectively take a beer. There are also several beer competitions, which further increase the rate of beer uptake in the Oktoberfest festival. Beer symbolizes joy and happiness in the celebrating community while at the same time being a representation of the relaxation that is prevalent in the celebrations.
Current Changes in the Oktoberfest Festival
Globalization has greatly increased the rates of migration and immigrations among German individuals. Regardless, of their new surroundings, Germans continue to institute and engage the Oktoberfest Festival (Lil, 2008). To begin with, to accommodate the elderly, the festival introduced the concept of “quiet Oktoberfest,” which involves the playing of quiet music for the older individuals of the society who engage in the festival. Initially, loud and electric music had been the major types of music in the play. However, this had worked against the elderly and organizers of the event as there had been increased violence among the youth because of the incessant play of violent music.[Click Essay Writer to order your essay]
Likewise, smoking was banned in enclosed spaces. However, this was later revised to allow smoking in the big tents. There were non-smoking zones in the tents, which would allow the convergence for those who did not participate in the smoking initiative (Spiegel, 2008). The 2010 Oktoberfest festival marked the beginning of the Historisches Oktoberfest, which was an enclosed setting specifically limited to the promotion of historical attractions of the Oktoberfest festival. In addition, animals have formed a significant part of the festivals. The introduction of a zoo into the festivals allows the participants to adopt and view animals of their choices.
Conclusion
The significance of festivals in the society cannot be overstated. The Oktoberfest Festival is a famous celebration of the Bavarian culture. The festival began in Munich Germany as a celebration of the Crown Princess’ wedding to King Ludwig I. Since then, the celebration has spread to other parts of the world and is engaged by individuals from other cultures separate from the Bavarian culture. Beer taking is encouraged in the affair. Therefore, the Oktoberfest festival entails the preparation of diverse types of food.
References
Ho, J. (2016, September 12). 12 Must-Try German Dishes to Celebrate Oktoberfest.
Lil, T. (2008, September 25). Wie Hitler das Oktoberfest Stahl.
Spiegel. (2008, March 2008). Up In Smoke: Bavarian Politicians Want to Relax Smoking Ban.
Sterling, J. (2014, September 21). 11 Foods You Need for an Oktoberfest Feast.
