Have you ever been to a wedding reception before? They can be so much fun. There is friends, food, music, lights and lots of dancing. Now imagine being at a wedding reception with 6.5 million other people. This party doesn't just last for one night, either... it goes on for 16 days. Not only that, but the anniversary of this amazing wedding has been celebrated every year for the past 208 years! Does a party like this sound fun to you? Then you would have a great time at Oktoberfest in Munich!
Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world, and is very important to Bavarian culture. Bavaria, Bayern in German, covers most of southern Germany, and Munich, where Oktoberfest is held, is its capital city. A lot of the food that is served at Oktoberfest is traditional Bavarian cuisine, such as sausages, potato salad, Spätzle, which is a type of cheesy pasta dish, and of course, giant Bavarian-style pretzels! Many people also like to wear traditional Bavarian clothing to Oktoberfest. Men can wear Lederhosen. These are short leather pants that are as special to Bavaria as cowboy boots are to Americans. Women wear dresses called Dirndls, which are usually worn with an apron. This dress is modeled after the traditional clothing of peasants from the Alps.
