Festivals: Auer Dult

One of my favorite aspects of living in Germany is the numerous festivals.  We're trying to visit as many as we can, but just the ones in the Munich area keep us quite busy.  We haven't begun to explore those in the Stuttgart and Rhine Valley area!

Munich has beer festivals, dancing festivals, streetlife festivals, and many others. One of the oldest festivals, Auer Dult (there are 3 per year) are more about handicrafts, though they also come with the standard carnival rides and food stalls and games. This fair dates back to the early 1300s!

The name Dult refers to old traditional church festivals that were held as part of religious observances and the Auer refers to the location, at Mariahilfsplatz in the Au district.  As with the old Dults, this one is set up around a church, the Mariahilfskirche.

Around the church they've set up a small midway, flea market, and of course food stalls.  While there are a couple of places to buy beer, this isn't a beer festival. It's mostly about the 300 or so vendors selling their wares.

In the early days, when trade was difficult, slow, and dangerous, this was a market showcasing imports such as pots, porcelain, spices, silverware, and even snake oil type "remedies".  Today it's known still as one of the biggest crockery markets in Europe.

And while you're browsing the stalls, there are fun rides, shooting galleries, and food and drink to entertain the whole family.

While there are plenty of fun games and rides and tasty treats, what sets the Auer Dult apart are the stalls selling crafts, kitchen wares, antiques, and random trash and treasure (depending on your perspective).  I especially liked this vendor, with the boar's head! 

Next year I need to stop in the ribbon stand and stock up on dirndl trimmings! 

It's usually sunny and hot during the summer Jacobi Dult, so Herr J cools off with a slushie. 

We'll have to do a post one day of all the funny decorative statues at the various fairs. I liked this guy at the french fry stand: 

And no festival (or beer garden) is complete without Steckerlfisch! 

As the Auer Dult is held in Spring, Summer, and Fall, we'll soon have another chance to visit in mid October. The "Kirchweihdult" is held from 15-23 October.  Next year's spring "Maidult" will be from 28 April to 6 May and the summer "Jacobidult" will run from 27 July to 3 August.  You can find the schedule online at the Auerdult site.

The Auer Dult in Munich is not the only Dult in Germany.  Many towns large and small across southern Germany have them at least once or twice per year. Hop on over to the Regensblog to see Cliff and Sarah's visits to the semi-annual Dult in Regensberg.  Or check out Servus München for some great pictures from the other Munich Dults.

Festivals: Dauchauer Volksfest

In August, construction workers start erecting the huge tents and rides on Munich's "Wiesn" -- the first reminder that Oktoberfest is coming soon!  However, before late September gets here, Dachau holds its traditional Volksfest.  Some people say it's a mid-August warm-up for the big event a month later...

Dachau lies just to Munich's northwest.  I've added some recent Schnitzelbahn destinations for reference:

Dachau sits at the end of the S2 (commuter train) line, an easy 30 minute ride from the center of Munich.

Most visitors think of the concentration camp and museum when they hear the word "Dachau" -- but it also has a charming old town & church, castle, and lots of green spaces.  Last year we saw a classical concert in the castle. 

The Volksfest is basically like a smaller, less hectic Oktoberfest. It's a great way to spend a summer afternoon or evening eating, drinking, riding rides, and playing games (plus it's another excuse to wear your trachten).  Here's some views from the top of the ferris wheel. First, looking down at a beer tent, town in the background:

And the "Octopus" ride (second photo above) - a classic spinning carnival ride.  Great techno music pumping too.

You see everyone below in their dirndl's & lederhosen (except the far right - Americans?  White tennis shoes...).

There are two main tents plus a few smaller "gardens" serving weißbier, cocktails, and of course festbier.  The festival's 350 year history is older than Oktoberfest (sorry, link in German but video is fun).  The festbier comes from a local brewer (not one of Munich's big 6) and costs 4.90, whereas a mass at Oktoberfest will run 9 euros!

One of the smaller "tents" (pictured below) has a specific niche - strudl!  (We didn't have a chance to try it.)

The larger bier tents are decorated much like the ones at Oktoberfest.  the blue & white pattern come from the Bavarian crest /and flag), and the green wreaths are also traditional and a common color for trachten.

The outside of the large tents are also decorated in a manner like the tents at Oktoberfest (photo below). 

Due to the fantastic weather, the smaller biergartens were the most crowded.  The cold festbier was good. 

The tent's band warms up to begin the entertainment, after fueling up with some beer themselves.

It was VERY hot that afternoon -- finally, Germany gets some of the Summer heat that the U.S. experienced.
To stay cool, we decided to take the classic "log ride" and saw this furry fellow at the entrance.  Frau A said hello:

This dog was in the perfect place to stay cool.  The woman in the ticket booth would throw water at him and he would try to catch it.  Otherwise he would just hang out and greet riders.   (Why the "Welcome" in English?)

I think it's great, but for whatever reasons (legal?) could never see this happening in the U.S..

 

Also:  how about Frau A's awesone dirndl!!!

The festival has the requisite kiddie rides too (colorful and cute)...

...plus carnival games.  Below, Frau A is throwing a ball to try and knock down a stack of cans.  Classic! 

I took my turn as well, sporting short lederhosen and a country-style shirt (rather than blue & white): 

Almost!  I don't think I've even done this to 100%.  Next time... 

And this classic roll-a-ball-into-holes game pictured below.  I'm terrible at it.  Frau gave it a try though.

 

No luck, despite the good roll in the above photo.  Someone else just had the magic touch that time.

The ol' balloon/darts game had some odd prizes....a stuffed Meerkat in heart boxer shorts??? 

My favorite?  The shooting gallery.  No prizes, just a jaeger's (hunter -- yes, like Jaegermeister) satisfaction of knocking over bottles, starting the player piano, spraying water, or making odd taxidermied animals dance.
It's a staple at all Munich-area fairs, just like the U.S..

Naturally the sledgehammer/strongman game was here too.  Very popular with guys especially after a few beers: 

And no festival would be complete without big food.

There's the spit-roasted ox ("ochs") on a bun, a speciality we saw at one of the large beer tents:

Frau A skipped the Ox and had Wiener schnitzel in another beer tent (she loved the seasoned fries they served):

I tried something new, Ludwig-Thoma-Braten, which is thick chunks of ham (with sauerkraut and knödel).

It must be repeated: the festbeer was quite good, and an unbelievable €4.90 per maß (roughly 1 liter).
That's the same price as 2010!  For about half the price of Oktoberfest, it's a dark malty steal.

Outside of the tents are lots of other stalls, selling greek food, döner, and the usual carnival snacks.
We had to try a nutella crepe, of course.  Want to help support them vs. the stupid lawsuit.

Overall, Dachauer Volksfest is a great prelude to Oktoberfest, and fun in it's own right.  It's cheaper, less crazy, with a small-town feel.  We're definitely planning to go again next year... let us know if you want to join!

Kocherlball

On Sunday, Herr J and I got up early to attend the Kocherlball, one of Munich's many summer festivals.

This one is a little different from the average beer+wurst+crepes+bandstand that is put up in any square, especially because it takes place early in the morning. 6:00-10:00, to be exact. And I HIGHLY recommend you arrive early if you want a seat. By 5am would be best - you won't be the first ones there....plenty of folks will be there early to stake out a prime table, and will enjoy breakfast and conversation by candlelight until the sun rises.

As usual, you are welcome to bring your own food, or to buy various breakfast foods (weißwurst, kaiserschmarrm, bread/cold cuts, various meats, and other sinfully wonderful variations on fried dough). Many groups will cover the beergarden picnic tables with fine table cloths, vases of flowers, and even silver candelabras. The drinks (beer, coffee, etc) you buy from the beergarden.

The point of the festival, however, is dancing.

In the last decade of the 18th century, the cooks and domestic staff met each year early on a summer Sunday morning to dance at the Chinese Tower (in the English Garden). Hence the name loosely translates to "Cooks' Ball" and takes place early in the morning before they had to go back to work. The tradition continued for a century or so, until it was banned in 1904 for being of questionable morality.

The event was revived in 1989 for the 200th anniversary celebrations for the English Garden and it continues today.

In addition to the dining and drinking, they have bands to play traditional music continuously in front of the dance area.

You'll see old and young alike, many in trachten or even older traditional uniforms. Even this sleepy little guy is decked out in his finest Bavarian duds:

And the dancing certainly is nothing scandalous today - it's traditional folk dancing, mainly from the Oberfalz (Upper Palatinate) and Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) regions...polkas, waltzes, and other traditional dances.  Not that many people actually knew the steps, but everyone still had fun trying something waltz-style or following instructions from the band leader.  Apparently the Münchener Francaise is one of the popular local dances (especially after it was taught for Munich's 850th anniversary).  I'm not sure how there is enough room to do it here, but there are German instructions online if you're curious like me. I can picture a ballroom of men and women in formal trachten, dancing as in old Vienna!

For those who want to learn the dances (or brush up on long-forgotten skills), the Culture Department (das Kulturreferat) of the City of Munich offers free Bavarian folk dancing courses on the three Thursdays leading up to the Kocherlball. Herr J and I did briefly join the fray for a dance or two, but perhaps next year we'll prepare ahead and learn the steps.

Until next year, here's a video of the dancing:
 

A lovely morning at the Chinese Tower!