Sure enough, the beer was €10/liter (for reference, I can buy a liter of beer for under a Euro in the supermarket) and there were tons of tourists in Lederhosen, but it was still a fun experience to have with friends. We went into one of the big buildings earlier in the day and got to hear some wonderful German music, called Schlager. If you're dying for an example of what that sounds like, look no further. But I don't really feel like I missed out, having not gone to Munich.
I was later speaking to someone from Munich about how they felt about Oktoberfest and I initially got the answer I had heard before, that they hate all of the drunk tourists taking over the city for a few weeks. However, I also got a viewpoint I hadn't considered before. The girl I spoke to considers tourists wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl to be cultural appropriation. These traditional items of clothing are specific to Bavaria (as opposed to all of Germany) and there is of course great significance behind them. After having this conversation with a Bavarian, I found this good blog post that explains all of that much better than I could. It's actually a really cool history that began back in 1626 with the establishment of a dress code by the Bavarian Prince Elector Maximilian I based on people's social status. But really it was interesting to see this different perspective after even I felt like I should be wearing the traditional garb at Stuttgart's version. I would love to see more tourists really learning about the history of the garb before simply buying it for the sake of what they think Oktoberfest is really about.
While on the topic of history, Oktoberfest itself began in 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The next year, they decided to repeat the horse races which had occurred at the wedding, which gave rise to the tradition of celebrating every year, and the rest is history. A more complete history can be found here.
Oktoberfest is a cool part of German (Bavarian) culture, but it's good to know a bit about the event itself, rather than just subscribing to the idea that you go there to wear Lederhosen and get hammered.
I was later speaking to someone from Munich about how they felt about Oktoberfest and I initially got the answer I had heard before, that they hate all of the drunk tourists taking over the city for a few weeks. However, I also got a viewpoint I hadn't considered before. The girl I spoke to considers tourists wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl to be cultural appropriation. These traditional items of clothing are specific to Bavaria (as opposed to all of Germany) and there is of course great significance behind them. After having this conversation with a Bavarian, I found this good blog post that explains all of that much better than I could. It's actually a really cool history that began back in 1626 with the establishment of a dress code by the Bavarian Prince Elector Maximilian I based on people's social status. But really it was interesting to see this different perspective after even I felt like I should be wearing the traditional garb at Stuttgart's version. I would love to see more tourists really learning about the history of the garb before simply buying it for the sake of what they think Oktoberfest is really about.
While on the topic of history, Oktoberfest itself began in 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The next year, they decided to repeat the horse races which had occurred at the wedding, which gave rise to the tradition of celebrating every year, and the rest is history. A more complete history can be found here.
Oktoberfest is a cool part of German (Bavarian) culture, but it's good to know a bit about the event itself, rather than just subscribing to the idea that you go there to wear Lederhosen and get hammered.
August, 2016
I'm super excited to be spending the next year or so in Tübingen, Germany! I know I'm going to have a lot of new experiences there, and this blog is my place to share what I learn with you. I'll be figuring out how to pay rent, use public transportation, and overall get by in a new language. On top of that though, I plan on traveling a lot, and sharing those experiences as well! It's going to be an amazing time, and I can't wait to begin!
I'm super excited to be spending the next year or so in Tübingen, Germany! I know I'm going to have a lot of new experiences there, and this blog is my place to share what I learn with you. I'll be figuring out how to pay rent, use public transportation, and overall get by in a new language. On top of that though, I plan on traveling a lot, and sharing those experiences as well! It's going to be an amazing time, and I can't wait to begin!