Let's raise a glass!

Every year at the beginning of October, the city of Munich comes alive with the world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival.

The Oktoberfest beer festival has been held annually in Hanoi , Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City since 1992, and is one of the oldest Oktoberfest events outside of Germany. Even after the resounding success of the 2023 festival, which attracted over 10,500 attendees and served 20,000 liters of beer, Oktoberfest in Vietnam has solidified its position as the largest beer festival in Southeast Asia.

So how spectacular is this festival in its place of origin? That's Munich, the capital of Bavaria in southeastern Germany, with over 6 million visitors and the consumption of 5-6 million liters of beer, along with hundreds of thousands of sausages, during each annual Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest, meaning "October Festival," is held regularly from the end of September to the first week of October. The first festival (held on October 12, 1810) did not feature beer or any alcoholic beverages, but was part of a royal wedding. In subsequent years, the event continued with various large-scale activities, from agricultural exhibitions to traditional costumes, to celebrate Bavarian values. By the late 1800s, breweries recognized the importance of the festival and began sponsoring elaborately decorated horse-drawn carriages for the parades. Since then, Oktoberfest has become an iconic annual event in Munich.

Oktoberfest is an iconic annual event in Munich.

Although Oktoberfest bears little resemblance to its "original version" from the 1800s, the Oktoberfest beer festival still reflects the traditional values, diversity, and community spirit of the Bavarian people for over two centuries. The joy of living, the bonding of family members, and the brotherhood among friends are always present in the festival atmosphere, most notably in the phrase "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" (meaning: To raise a glass to the satisfaction of being content), which appears throughout the festival's theme song, "Ein Prosit."

Wearing traditional Bavarian attire has also become part of the "Oktoberfest experience" for Munich residents and many international tourists. You might encounter groups of local men in lederhosen (knee-length leather shorts with straps, worn with wooden shoes and wool socks) enthusiastically surrounding beer tents. Bavarian girls, meanwhile, are always smiling in their traditional dirndl (a white blouse with puffed sleeves, a skirt worn over it, and an apron with a fabric belt tied in a bow).

The official beer mug of Oktoberfest 2024

But the most appealing activity for both tourists and locals at the festival is immersing yourself in the crowd to enjoy hundreds of types of beer served in huge mugs, some up to a liter, in dozens of giant beer tents that can accommodate thousands of people. People are willing to patiently queue for hours to get a spot in a beer tent, enthusiastically paying between EUR13 and EUR15 for a 1-liter mug of premium beers such as Armbrustschützen-Festzelt, Bräurosl, Fischer-Vroni, etc. Perhaps the most inspiring image is that of the charming women in traditional costumes skillfully carrying rows of giant beer mugs to customers.

With nearly 200 editions and an enormous scale, Oktoberfest is not only a beautiful aspect of Munich's cultural life and spirit, but it has also become an unmissable annual destination for the city and the entire state of Bavaria.

Source: https://heritagevietnamairlines.com/nao-ta-cung-nang-coc/