by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel
Throughout the year there are celebrations, festivals and fairs that take place in our area, but one that is filled with tradition, dancing, music, entertainment and beer is the popular Oktoberfest. One of the questions people often ponder is how come “Oktoberfest” (German spelling) usually starts in September, then continues in October? The answer is simple. The weather is better. The first Oktober fest took place way back in 1810 in Bavaria, Germany, celebrating the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The Munich officials invited the public to join in the celebration in the fields outside the city walls. The site was aptly named Theresienwiese (“Therese’s Meadow”) then the following year and for centuries ever after an Oktoberfest continues to be held annually in Munich! Much later this annual celebration was changed to starting mid-September to first week in October to take advantage of warmer European weather for these vibrant outdoor Bavarian festivals. The most popular of all Oktoberfest’s is held in Munich, Germany at the world famous Hofbrauhaus. This huge beer hall was founded in 1589 by the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V, and is one of Munich’s oldest beer halls. Opened seven days a week, they welcome about 3,500 guests daily! We have been there twice during trips to Europe, and I can easily verify it is a lively, bustling and fun environment to see and have a meal, year-round. Their German band plays non-stop and people sit at long wooden tables and meet fellow travelers from around the globe that come to see this famous castle-like structure and be part of the merriment. Also making it an historical place to visit is the quality of the beer they serve. In 1516 a “Bavarian Beer Purity Law” was passed that stated only natural ingredients could be used in the brewing process. To peek at the Hofbrauhaus and maybe consider adding it one day to your travel plans, visit https://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/ However, one doesn’t have to travel to Germany to enjoy the music, food, dancing, entertainment and fun surrounding an Oktoberfest because we have celebrations that are only a short car ride away right here in our area!
Most likely the largest Oktoberfest in our area takes place in the Catskills at Hunter Mountain, New York and spans three weekends in the fall with food, beer, music and gorgeous mountain views! There are live entertainment, Bavarian inspired food, artisan vendors, local craft beers and family-friendly activities. The first weekend of the Festival begins October 3-4. Then 10-11 and 17-18th. Each weekend has a different theme starting with First Leaves, Oktoberfest and Costume Takeover. There is a Scenic Sky Ride, competitions like stein holding, keg rolling, and costume contests. Festival admission is free. For more information visit https://www.huntermtn.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/colors-in-the-catskills.aspx
Throughout Long Island there are numerous Oktoberfest events that will take place soon in Suffolk and Nassau counties. There are festivals held in Riverhead, Manorville and Deer Park, to name only a few. You may want to visit the following sites to see the various locations, dates and planned events. In Riverhead, on October 12th visitors can savor the flavors of Oktoberfest, offering craft beers, food trucks and family friendly activities. https://www.bucketlistli.com/post/oktoberfest-on-long-island#google_vignette. Another site is The Best Oktoberfests of Long Island to check out at https://www.goinglocal.li/the-best-oktoberfest-events-on-long-island/ and since beer is one of the highlights of these festivals, the Long Island Beer Guide has also put together a long list of Oktoberfests throughout Long Island that offers fun, food, beer and family friendly events. https://www.libeerguide.com/li-oktoberfest
You didn’t to have studied German in school to know a vast amount of German vocabulary. There are hundreds of words from other languages that have become part of our English vocabulary, and it is the same with German. Probably most of us don’t even realize that we understand and know expressions or words in German that seem normal to us now. All of us know the first experience a young child has is attending kindergarten. Kinder is a child and garten is garden, a place to grow. If you have a friend that can be described as having wanderlust, you know that means he loves to travel or move around a lot. The translation is wander is to hike and lust, can be to have a “desire”. Lately I have noticed the term “schadenfreude” being used often on television, either in the form of discussions or relating an outcome they were hoping would happen. It is a mixture of schaden, which means “harm” and freude which is “joy” or being happy. The translation means when you feel elated or joy about another person’s misfortune or problem. Say you heard that a competitor broke his arm and cannot play in the tennis tournament you are also in the coming weekend. You may feel a bit sorry that he is injured, but gleeful the competitor list has narrowed for you. That is schadenfreude. Someone nearby sneezes and another friend says “gesundheit” and we all know that is a substitute for “bless you”. It’s a German expression where “gesund”means health or healthy and heit means hood. So putting them together means wishing you to be in a good health area.
We may use some German words almost daily and give it little thought of the meaning as we all know what they are. Think of sauerkraut, strudel, pretzel, blitz, zeppelin, schnitzel, noodle, lager and delicatessen (delicate and “essen” is to eat), so it means to eat a delicacy. It is easy to see we all know a little bit of German!