La floración de los guayacanes se convierte cada año, entre los meses de marzo y abril, en un espectáculo visual que pinta de amarillo el horizonte de...
- 16/09/2009 02:00
- 16/09/2009 02:00
Have you ever wanted to learn German? This weekend you have the best opportunity of the year.
Oktoberfest celebrations kick off in Munich on September 19 and Panama is, again holding its own version of the beer laced festival.
Oktoberfest is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year.
What attracts so many people to it? Not just the music or the plates of delicious German food, but the centuries old celebration of Bavarian culture. And the beer of course; over 6 million liters of liquid gold will be drunk this year.
Germany boasts that it has been making the best beer in the world since the 16th century; one of the oldest laws concerning food and drink was the Bavarian Purity Requirements decreed by Duke William IV in 1516: Only water, hops and barley should be used to brew Bavarian beer.
Although the name literally means October party it begins in mid September and runs for sixteen days until October 3, German Unity day.
The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.
The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17 with a horse race. The first royal wedding party drew about 40,000 guests - a major turnout for the event. Everyone had such a good time that the king issued a royal proclamation making Oktoberfest an annual event. And, the enduring history began.
In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.
By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions.
Because September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly.
My choice of beer to match my big plate of haxn (pork knuckles)? was a dunkel(dark) beer Erdinger. Dark beer is my personal medicine for vitamin B absorption.
Nutty, malty, spicy, Erdinger dunkel is perfect for a peaceful stop after long office hours.
Now the interesting part. This weekend you can join the beer parade at the Rincon Aleman (Calle 51) with good friend, mein host Fritz Schmutte.
This German niche in the city has 30 different varieties of beer to spice up the party.
Come round 5:00 p.m. and enjoy the Chepo Firemen band's lively music, German sausages and great fellowship.
Wear your lederhosen. I’ll see you there!