The Gift Exchange

A tradition of beer, polkas and chicken dancing. Originally, Oktoberfest was held for the commemoration of the marriage between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, now it is a world-famous annual festival. Munich is the original site of the festival, but there is no more appropriate setting for an American version of the “Old World” Oktoberfest than in Mount Angel, Oregon. Settled by German pioneers in the 1800s and reminiscent of the Bavarian countryside it is the spot to be if you love beer, sausage and polkas!

If you are unable to make it to either Munich or Mt. Angel, I offer you an alternative. Try GiftTree’s Microbrew Trio & Backyard BBQ Gift Set. It contains the essentials you need to create a biergarten in your back yard. Polka music can be found via http://www.247polkaheaven.com/ (The world’s first 24/7 streaming polka website.) The chicken dance is mandatory for a good Oktoberfest. If you have never experienced it, now is your chance. Here’s some instructions:

• At the start of the music, shape a chicken beak with your hands. Open and close it four times, during the first four beats of the music.
• Make chicken wings with your arms. Flap your wings four times, during the next four beats of the music.
• Make a chicken’s tail feathers with your arms and hands. Wiggle downwards during the next four beats of the music.
• Clap four times during the next four beats of the music.
• Repeat this process four times.
• Link arms with the nearest person, turn right eight steps, switch arms and turn left eight steps, then repeat.
• The dance repeats, progressively getting faster and faster, until the music stops.

If you need a visual picture of the dance, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGcdGNlKifY.
Auf Wiedersehen!

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