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C U ST OMS
By ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ
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OKTOBERFEST
The Joy of Beer
here is no bigger beer carnival than Oktoberfest. This event is considered one of the most iconic in the world, such as the Carnival in Rio, Semana Santa in Seville, Palia in Siena, the Bull Run in Pamplona, or Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Beer aficionados dream of being one of Oktober’s guests, preferably several times. The same applies to those people who don’t like beer. Actually, it applies to everyone.
lasts from 16 to 18 days, from mid-September to the first week of October, and is visited by six million people every year, beer drinkers and others. Locals often call it Wiesn, since the place called Theresa's Meadows or in German, Theresienwiese, is the location where the festival is held every year. Today, interestingly enough, Oktoberfest in Munich is not the only Oktoberfest in Germany and
THE FIRST, THE BIGGEST, THE BEST
THERE ARE MANY OKTOBERFESTS TODAY WITH DIFFERENT CUSTOMS, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE ORIGINAL
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Not only is Oktoberfest the largest beer brand, but it has also become a kind of worldwide "franchise" unlike the others, which have a local historical background. Oktoberfest is the earliest grassroots festival that was created in Munich in 1810. Today, it
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even the rest of the world. German emigrants have taken the custom to other continents (one of the largest, and for a long time, the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world was the one held in the town of Blumenau in Santa Catarina, Brazil). Oktoberfest is also held in Argentina, the USA and more recently, in Novi Sad. Up to 8 litres of beer are consumed at Oktoberfest in Munich. The festival is known for other types of entertainment too, with food taking the centre stage and Bavarian sausage being the highlight of the festival food. Oktoberfest’s history and timeline are also worth mentioning. The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place in the 16 days leading up to the first Sunday in October. In 1994, this longstanding schedule was modified in response to German reunification. As such, if
