When someone talks about Oktoberfest – the world’s biggest festival – one would think it’s all about “Beer, lots of dancing, girls wearing Dirndl dresses and guys wearing Lederhosen.” Isn’t it? What if I tell you, that there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye? It’s okay if you don’t know anything about Oktoberfest. This article will serve to be your complete guide to Oktoberfest.
History of Oktoberfest
Crown Prince Ludwig got married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12th October 1810. Prince Ludwig invited all the citizens of Munich to celebrate the royal event on the fields in front of the city gates. Since then the fields have been named Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s fields”) in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the “Wiesn“.
Horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the closing of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest, according to Wikipedia.
Bavarian Clothes –
In Bavaria, It was very common to wear traditional Bavarian outfits (Dirndl and Lederhosen) in everyday life, going around town or to wear while working in the fields in the 1500-1600s.
As the use of traditional clothes started to fade, locals wanted to make sure that their Alpine culture stayed strong, so they started the traditional costume association called Trachtenverein in 1833. In 1835, the first Riflemen and Costume (Tracht) Parade were added to the Oktoberfest celebrations. Today you will find that 90% of the visitors are dressed up in traditional Bavarian outfits for Oktoberfest in Munich.
Women’s Oktoberfest Dress (Dirndl)
Originally Dirndl is the Bavarian word for young woman or a girl, and of course all women wore the traditional Bavarian dress (Dirndlgewand), and therefore, the dress was given the name as Dirndl.
The Dirndl consists of a long dress and a sexy blouse, with a colorful apron tied around the waist..
Traditional Bavarian / Alpine Dirndl with Blouse and Apron with Mary Jane style shoes
Dirndl Dress – of course, it is the obvious one, but jokes apart, it is primarily a wide and long skirt with a corsage. In earlier times, its length used to extend until the knees. Today you can get dresses in all sizes from long to short and in a variety of colors like red, blue, dark green or light pink or yellow, and in materials like cotton, silk, satin or brocade, based on their price range.
Always Remember, that your dirndl dress should end at the height of a beer mug above the ground so you don’t get uncomfortable. It can also protect you from cold breezy air while dancing. When in confusion, always go for traditional colors like red, blue or pink.
P.s. An authentic Bavarian dirndl dress usually goes below the knees. So you can spot the tourists and Bavarians in Oktoberfest. 😀
Blouse – The blouses are traditionally white in color. But with modern times, you can see blouses in many colors as black or red and styles like off shoulder, finer transparent / net or frilly. It is up to you ladies, how much cleavage you want to show, although it’s perfectly normal to show a quite bit of cleavage. It looks really sexy!!
Always go with white blouse in cotton, it never goes out of fashion 😉
Apron – The apron is the most vibrant part of the Dirndl, so you can jazz up your dress with a color that matches the rest of the outfit. But, always remember that Apron should be lengthy as the length of your dress.
Which side you should tie the Apron?
- Left – Tie bow of the apron on the left side, if you’re single and ready to mingle. Be ready to handle lots of attention 😉
- Right – Tie your apron on the right side, if you’re married or taken.
- Middle – Tie your apron in the middle, if you are a virgin or not sure about your relationship status. It can attract many weird or amused looks. 😀 so beware ladies..
- Back – Generally, tying apron at the back means, a woman is either widowed or a waitress.
Group of Girls wearing Dirndl with Accessories
Accessories – If you want to enhance the look of your Dirndl dress then you can wear bracelets, rings, or traditional hats or hair bands combined with a braided hairstyle.
You can highlight your neckline with a delicate necklace. Just don’t wear heavy necklaces, as they will dominate your dress and looks. In addition, you can also wear nude color stockings, to look great and dance on the benches without feeling cold ;), which I forgot to wear.
Shoes – You can combine Dirndl with any kind of shoes you want, be it pumps, high heels, Mary Jane style shoes, wedges or open toes shoes.
But while dancing on the bench, don’t forget to bring along an extra pair of ballerina or flat shoes. This would help you lot in case of a few extra hours of dancing. This is my personal experience talking, because I danced in my kitten heels and had a sprain in my foot.
Women Lederhosen – It is another trend that has started recently, among many tourists from across the globe visiting Oktoberfest. Women wearing lederhosen in form of shorts or pants that go until the knees or below knees. It looks sexy though 😉 You just have to figure it out about your sizing, if you want to wear it.
Women Leaderhosen without suspenders
Now hard part is over, let’s talk about men’s Oktoberfest outfits aka Lederhosen. They are quite simple, much less complicated than Dirndls 😀
Men’s Oktoberfest Dress (Lederhosen)
Lederhosen, mainly consist of leather shorts with suspenders, shirt, and accessories like a hat or a vest / jacket, and shoes and shocks.
Lederhosen – are the leather shorts with suspenders (Chest straps to hold up pants / shorts) with bit of embroidery. They are a little tight and stiff around the thighs, although there are strings in the back which allow more comfort around the waist. Sometimes they have 2-3 pockets or bon buttons.
- Platterhosen are pants, that are normally longer and goes below the knees.
- Bundhosen, are pants that are more in the Capri style.
- Gauplattlerhosen, are more of a decorative type with embroidered edges.
Traditional Bavarian Lederhosen with/without Suspenders and with Vest for men
Never dry clean your lederhosen. They say in Bavaria the dirtier the Lederhosen, the better it is 😉 and you will see guys wiping their hands on Lederhosen after having some meal or beer.
Shirt – Traditional Bavarian Trachten shirts are the most common style worn during Oktoberfest. These shirts are normally checkered with solid colors like red, green or blue and plain colors like white. Another thing you can do with your trachten shirt is, that you can roll up your sleeves and hold them in place with the arm button. Isn’t it magic!!!
Accessories – Traditional Bavarian hats, vests and jackets are fairly popular accessories worn along with lederhosen.
If you want to dress up in a really fancy way, then you should include Traditional Bavarian Hat aka felt Alpine or Tirolerhüte, These hats have an ostrich or pheasant feather on the side of the hat. In earlier times, the size of the feather on your hat was associated with how rich you are.
If you don’t like suspenders then wear your lederhosen with Vests / Jackets. They are normally worn with metal tie rings.
Traditional Bavarian Couple wearing Dirndl and Lederhosen with Vest/Jacket
Shoes & Socks – Men in Bavaria wear traditional shoes called Haferlschuh, which are a mix between casual and work boots, made of smooth leather. Mostly guys wear wool socks with stripes. The deadliest combo of all is a low cut wool sock with a matching, wool leg warmer.
So this is it ;), My guide for the Oktoberfest. Let me know your tips and fashion statement in comments below 🙂
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