Not every international holiday is embraced by Minnesotans.
The United Kingdom's Boxing Day? In the Twin Cities, it might as well mean the same thing as "moving day." Mexico's Day of the Dead? Let's just say it was never really alive here. China's Qingming Jie? Uttering the phrase is likelier to result in a "gesundheit" than a party.
There's something about Oktoberfest, though — and we suspect it's the beer — that gets the state all kinds of excited. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes and about 9,000 breweries, finding an excuse to get together over some sausages (the official dish of the Midwest?) and a cold one is not difficult.
But hey, since the Germans mentioned it, why not? Let's do this thing.
The festivities began in Munich in 1810, inspired by a royal wedding. Wines and beers were tasted, horses were raced and merriment was made — enough so that everyone decided to come back a year later and do it again, and then again, and again.
These days, the tradition has been adopted the world over, perhaps few places as eagerly as Minnesota, which has one of the largest German populations in the country and, of course, really likes those aforementioned beers and sausages.
Here, too, the annual revelry continues to grow, and suddenly, variations on the classic are cropping up everywhere. Minneapolis' Tilia recently celebrated Augtoberfest, which got things going a bit earlier than usual. St. Paul's Pajarito is getting even more creative with its Oktoberfiesta — a Mexican spin on the bash. Of course, if you're just craving traditional beer steins, tall socks and lots of hammerschlagen, there's plenty of that, too.
Check out these six celebrations around the Twin Cities:
