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Over the past 210 years, Oktoberfest has been cancelled just 24 times, for reasons like cholera outbreaks or war.

In the case of 2020, it’s that pesky COVID-19 pandemic.

More than six million people showed up to Oktoberfest in Munich last year, where they guzzled  7,3 million litres of beer and scoffed a total of 124 giant oxen.

The lost and found box is always a hoot, with some weird stuff left behind, including a set of teeth, a pram, a UN card game, a measuring cup, a kitchen sieve, a wedding ring, a flugelhorn, the book Dalí – the picturesque work (in its original packaging), and €635,60.

We can trace the history of the event, which celebrates Bavarian history over 18 days, back to 1810, according to The Travel, when the Bavarian Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese, of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

Image: Pinterest

Unlike the festival in 1810 celebrating the wedding, which lasted for a few days and involved some civilised drinking, plenty of good food, and horse races, it’s morphed into a massive event that brings people from all nationalities together to participate in a raucous beer-fuelled party, usually beginning on the second last Saturday of September at midday.

Oktoberfest should always begin with the food, which pays homage to the original traditions of the festival.

Image: EPA-EFE

Sausages and sauerkraut are customary and can range in anything from bratwurst to knockwurst and anything in between, all of which are delicious. Poached in beer, grilled for flavor, and served alongside some spicy, dijon, or even honey mustard, these sausages are a true German staple.

Up next is the beer, which is the most traditional aspect of the celebration.

Of course, the beers should all be German styles and can usually be found between September and October from smaller or craft breweries. This is a great chance to try local beers as well as celebrate them, and most have a seasonal Oktoberfest option.

Here in South Africa, we don’t need an excuse to crack open a cold one, and when it comes to sausages, nothing, not even bratwurst, beats some wors on the braai.

If you want a bit of an origin story to amp up your beer experience, here’s one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. In 1899, in a brewery near Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico, a brewer created a light, refreshing beer made from the water closest to the sun.

The story goes that, as the brewer held up the beer, a ray of sun peeped through a hole in the roof onto the transparent bottle and, in honour of the sun, inspired the name Sol.

Just over 120 years later, and South Africans are embracing tasting the sun, in a very big way.

With summer on the way, knocking back an ice-cold Sol, with a plate of chops, wors, and potato salad makes every weekend worth celebrating.

Prost!

[sources:thetravel]