History of Oktoberfest
Originated in Munich – southern Germany – in 1810.
Locals were invited to celebrate the wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in Bavaria.
The original festival was held on the wedding grounds, known as Theresienwiese.
Max Rivera’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t stop smiling.
The loud oom-pah-pah beat of the accordion-laced German band had everyone dancing, arms and legs flailing, while they belted out the words to the popular bar song called “Fliegerlied.”
“You can’t be shy,” said Rivera, giving his most important tip on how to party like a German. “And you can’t stop moving.”
This was his third year at Oktoberfest at Old World Village in Huntington Beach. Rivera, 17, a Buena Park High School student, was there with his German teacher and classmates.
Rivera is taking German for the fourth year. The exposure to the language class – including the country’s history and culture – keeps him wanting to know more. Last year, he loved the music so much, he surfed the Internet for more. He plans to visit Germany and learn firsthand about its history after he graduates.
In Orange County, festivities are held at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim and at Old World Village. By Sunday, nearly 100,000 people will have lifted beer steins, eaten sausages and sang beer hall songs.
Both the Phoenix Club, founded in 1961, and Old World Village, built in 1978, began as places for German immigrants to meet, socialize and celebrate their culture and heritage.
Both places this year report record turnouts. And though Oktoberfest is winding down, there’s more partying to come.
And it doesn’t end with October.
The Phoenix Club kicks off its countdown to Karneval with the selection of this year’s prince on Nov. 15. Karneval – or Fasching, as it’s called in Northern Germany – is a Mardi Gras-like celebration.
One of Germany’s best-known and largest carnival celebrations takes place in Cologne. The Kölner Karneval is also called Fastelovend “fasting eve.” The high point of Karneval is the big parade on Rose Monday, the largest in all of Germany, stretching out to a length of almost four miles.
This year, Heidi Davis, a longtime member and spokeswoman of the Phoenix Club, advertised Oktoberfest on social media and introduced the concept of partying like a German.
Davis points to an influx of marketing campaigns that use German words and concepts. Earlier this summer when the German National Team won the FIFA World Cup, places like the Phoenix Club and Old World Village were packed.
“Most people think of Germans as dutiful, intelligent and hard-working,” Davis said. “Partying would probably not be the first choice as a description for Germans. But those on the inside know you have to have both. As much as they’re known for engineering, they party just as hard as they work. It’s becoming cool to be German.”
In Germany, Oktoberfest originated when locals were invited to celebrate the wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in Bavaria in 1810.
Once solely celebrated in Munich, it has gone worldwide, including this year’s Oktoberfest in Shanghai. An estimated 6 million people annually go to Munich’s Theresienwiese to experience the original venue.
Still, many will celebrate “Gemutlichkeit” in the raucous Bavarian festivals away from Munich.
To party right, revelers need to wear the authentic clothes. Lederhosen (leather britches) and dirndls (low-cut, tight-fitting peasant dresses) are still all the rage. Partiers in Munich spend hundreds of euros to get just the right dress or pants.
Of course, they also want to be stylish in fashionable O.C.
“Everyone looks so happy and proud when they’re wearing dirndls,” said Heidi Miller, who has been selling traditional clothing at Old World Village for 30 years. “It’s a matter of national pride.”
Even here in Southern California, Miller can’t keep up with the demand for the handmade clothes. Each year during Oktoberfest, sales increase. This past week, she was swarmed by buses of people wanting to get a last-minute dress.
“People like the style,” Miller said. “They like how it fits. When I put my dirndl on, I’m not going to church; I want to party. It does something for your figure. It makes everyone look good.”
The dress first appeared in Bavaria and Austria in the 1800s. Later in the early 20th century, it appeared as a fashionable must-have for wealthier women in Germany. Now some dresses and pants are being mass-produced.
“Everyone looks forward to Oktoberfest,” said Lea Scholz, a 26-year-old from Kiel, Germany, now a bartender in the Old World Village. “I have friends in Bavaria who love to dress up. They have two or three dresses at home. When I was home, I bought one to wear for work here. My aunt came with me and bought it because she thought it was pretty. My mother wanted one too, but when she got there they were sold out. In Germany, you would never go to Oktoberfest in jeans.”
Some say the resurgence of the dirndl and Lederhosen and the growing popularity of Oktoberfest could likely be a reflection of a new generation embracing their heritage with pride and confidence. That sentiment in Germany seems to have translated to the U.S.
The recent success of the World Cup in soccer has given Germans a renewed national pride, said Davis. The Phoenix Club this year had more than 45,000 people attend its Oktoberfest.
Davis and Cyndie Kasko, whose parents opened Old World Village in 1978, both say the key to making Oktoberfest a must-do in Orange County is keeping it authentic.
That means real German bands, authentic food and imported German beer. Some of the most popular beers this year include Bitburger Pils, Licher Oktoberfest and Kostritzer Schwarzbier.
“People here are looking into the heritage and recognizing that German is a root culture in America,” she said. “There’s a new generation waking up to hidden historic facts. If you put a Christmas tree up, you know the tradition comes from Germany. Germans are the largest established ancestry group in the U.S.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter:@lagunaini