Oktoberfest turns 200

The traditional Oktoberfest marked its start of a giant German party on Saturday and is celebrating this year its 200th anniversary since Munich's fall beer festival originates back from 1810. 

The fest will last seventeen days gathering together dozens of thousands of people who will dance, celebrate the change of the seasons by donning leather shorts and pointy green hats, and surely, will drink beer, as they describe it -- “a fluid bread.” The festivities include weeklong events, urban street festivals and parties. Numerous tourists rush to Munich to get involved in the celebrations.

The Oktoberfest dates from 1810. The original Fest was the celebration of a royal Bavarian wedding. Princess Teresa (Therese) of Bavaria (1792-1854) had married crown prince Ludwig I (later king of Bavaria) on the evening of October 12, 1810. The next day, the city began celebrating the wedding with various activities, including concerts, parties, balls, and even a horse race on the 17th. The Bavarian royal family decided to hold such festivals every year, beginning the Oktoberfest tradition.