O’zapft is!
As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported, “promptly at 12:00 noon on Saturday, mayor Christian Ude opened the 174th Oktoberfest with three strikes.” And with that, “O’zapft is!”, roughly translated as “The keg is tapped.”
The keg in this instance is a large wooden keg of beer, which has been dragged to the Schottenhamel tent by horse-drawn carriage and then tapped with an old-fashioned wooden mallet. That keg (and the Bavarian politicians) are the stars of today’s ceremonial procession (the “Einzug”). Once the politicians clear out, the beer takes over.
As with all things Oktoberfest, the Einzug is also watched by thousands of tourists who understand little or nothing of the entire ceremony. The rush of tourists from all over the world has taken some of the luster off, and more Münchner than ever before avoid the Wiesn altogether, but it’s still a big part of the city’s heritage and culture. It’s also central to Bavarian politics, and no serious politician would be absent from the opening ceremony. Where else but in Munich would this raucous beer party still merit the (serious) coverage of an otherwise top-flight newspaper, and the attention of an entire city.
Check out the SZ’s special section on the Oktoberfest for more pictures of the event, or you can also check the Oktoberfest website. Better yet, grab a Spaten (or one of the other Munich brews) and join the party from afar. Tomorrow, the Trachtenzug! If you don’t know what it is, you’ll find out then.
Photo from the Süddeutsche Zeitung/dpa
Tags: bavarian, beer, oktoberfest, schottenhamel, sueddeutsche_zeitung
0 opinions for O’zapft is!
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: