It was even noticeable in Augsburg- you could always tell who was making their way to Oktoberfest by the clothing they were wearing, Trachten: lederhosen for the men, dirndls for the women. The streets near the train station were teeming with people in traditional German garb. What made it most interesting is that if anyone were placed in southern Germany for just the two weeks of Oktoberfest, it would be easy to assume that a large percentage of Germans still wear this clothing (which isn’t the case).
Even more apparent in Munich, Trachten is what binds both the tourists and the locals for these two weeks. Just from looking at someone’s appearance, it’s hard to determine whether they’re a foreigner or they’ve been going to Oktoberfest for years. I was even mildly amused when I found my dress (bought at a large clothing store) worn by a few other German women, assuring me that I fit in as a local . On the fairgrounds with thousands of other visitors, it’s egregiously apparent if someone isn’t wearing Tracht- almost as if they weren’t ‘in’ on what the festival was about.
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| Dancing on tables, an Okto-time favorite |
