The Bests and the Pests in Oktoberfest

By: Jefferson Cruz
email: jeff.scribbles@gmail.com

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Never call yourself an alcoholic if you have never gone slurping beer in Oktoberfest. This famous festival in Munich, Germany has become the Westerners test of how long one could walk straight after taking pitchers of beer in one gulp. If you happen to consult a German dictionary and look up the word Oktoberfest, you will find its astonishing synonym – beer. No, I just made it up.

This year, the Germans celebrated their 177th Oktoberfest with the participation of 3.3 million people, 3.3 million liters of beer and 60 oxen (this has to be checked for accuracy. Sorry, I was drunk while writing this.).  In a perverted sense, if Pinoys have People Power in Edsa, Germans have beer power in Munich. Traditionally, Oktoberfest starts in the last days of September and ends in the first week of October, but since obsessive-compulsive Germans protested that Oktoberfest should start in October, a change in history has been made. Many agreed to this modification.

Naturally, humans put up a show for an effect to start a massive feast. That is exactly what transpires before Oktoberfest begins. Based on customs, male participants wear lederhosen while females put on their dirndls. These outfits are the traditional German attires. Tradition also requires a tapping of the first barrel of beer before exuberant participants could drink their heart out. After this formality on stage, Ein Prosit will be merrily sung every fifteen minutes. This will be followed by raising of mugs and wishes for a great celebration. Every participant will be drinking their beer merrily and will go merry-go-round the vicinity as if they know everyone. 

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