German Holidays - German Beer Day

Tourists traveling around Germany and local residents wash down stewed cabbage, Bavarian sausages and pretzel with a heady, foamy drink that has been brewed on the territory of modern Germany since 1260 It was in this year that the first brewery was founded in Leipzig by Duke Ludwig the Surov Another nobleman, William IV, began to monitor the quality of the drink, which later became a national brand On April 23, 1516, as Duke of Bavaria, he issued a law on the purity of the product, in which he ordered beer to be brewed only from hops and malt with the addition of water Consistency is a sign of mastery Centuries have passed, but the historical document still regulates the rules for the production of a foamy drink, which initially applied only in Bavaria, but then spread to all German lands Each bottle of one of the 5 thousand types of beer produced in Germany indicates that it was brewed taking into account the standards of Deutsches Bierreinheitsgesetz April 23, the date of publication of the German Purity Law, is German Beer Day The significant German Beer Day has been celebrated since 1994 This celebration is not the only one dedicated to beer In terms of scope and breadth of celebration, it is inferior to Oktoberfest, celebrated every year in September and early October At this time, up to 7 million people who love German beer come to Munich from all over the world Interestingly, Oktoberfest also owes its existence to the German monarchs The celebration is based on the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Theresa of Saxony, which took place on October 12, 1810 The citizens liked the copious consumption of free beer so much that it became an annual tradition for the residents of Munich The foamy drink has long had its patrons not only among royalty It is known that the priest Arnold from Oudenburg, who lived in the 11th century, urged his flock to drink beer instead of water, in which pathogenic bacteria were killed during the brewing process Each monk of the Catholic Church of those years legally consumed up to 5 liters of foamy drink per day, thus fighting parasites and germs Today, Arnold of Soissons, elevated to the rank of saint, is considered the patron saint of Belgian brewers and hop pickers UNESCO protects both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of humanity The list of objects of the latter type includes falconry, silk production for weaving, Spanish flamenco, the Mediterranean diet, Argentine tango, Egyptian takhtib cane dance and other intellectual riches of the peoples of the world In 2012, the Berlin Institute for Beer Purity proposed that the Bavarian decree Deutsches Bierreinheitsgesetz, issued on April 23, 1516, be included in the UNESCO heritage list The initiative is under consideration, but this does not bother connoisseurs of the intoxicating drink, who annually celebrate the Day of German beer, which has been brewed for more than 500 years according to the same law Therefore, it can also claim the status of intangible cultural heritage on a par with the listed koumiss, traditional Mexican cuisine and Turkish coffee