The Prince of Bavaria calls Oktoberfest-goers “dressing up to get drunk” at the German beer festival “cultural appropriation” and slams those who would rather party than celebrate tradition. .
“When you see Chinese national costumes made of plastic, pseudo-costumes with close-fitting dirndls, everything becomes carnival,” Luitpold Ruprecht Heinrich told German radio station Anten Bayern. According to the London Times.
Heinrich, 72, is a member and second-in-command of the Wittelsbach family, and said the low-cost costumes were an insult to the centuries-long celebration that began with the wedding of King Ludwig I in 1810. . Heinrich’s ancestor.
“Today we’re all talking about cultural appropriation. Here it is happening to us Bavarians!” Heinrich continued. “If everything is just about wearing clothes, Drunken costume . . . Much culture and tradition is lost in the process. ”
The Wittelsbach family once ruled the Kingdom of Bavaria until 1918, and are the founders of the 150-year-old brewery König-Ludwig Schlossbrauerei, with Mr. Heinrich currently serving as CEO and manager. I am.
As the brewery is located outside of Munich, beer will not be served at the festival, but Heinrich was vocal about this, according to the London Times.
Costumes aren’t the only thing separating traditional audiences from new waves of attendees this year, as the switch to selling organic chicken has increased the price of the staple meal.
Due to its focus on sustainability, Paulaner Festzelt’s tent decided to raise all organic chickens as an experiment, in what some might call “woke Wiesen.”
The festival, held annually on the Theresienwiese grounds from mid-September to the first week of October, attracts around 6 million visitors a year.
The 188th Oktoberfest kicked off last Saturday, with popular fest-goers donning traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses, watching the mayor of Munich tap the first keg, enjoying music, and And drank a lot of beer.
The celebrations will begin on September 16 and continue until October 3, two days later than the traditional end date, to include German Reunification Day, a public holiday celebrating Germany’s 1990 unification.
Last year’s festival was the first after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
