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Culture

From Oktoberfest to Mocktoberfest

Codified in 19th century Bavaria as an official 17-day beer-fueled celebration, Oktoberfest has been imported and contorted by innumerable celebrants as an excuse to do go on bender. Most forgo the traditional sausage, pretzels and steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick) and concentrate on the beer. This is wise, if you’ve even seen steckerlfisch. More…

Categories
Culture

National self-conscious month

Mocktober: Darling Readers, welcome to October – the tenth, formally eighth, month of the year. This fine fall month got knocked down a couple pegs when January and February were introduced by Pope Gregory XIII to account for winter, which was theretofore monthless in the original Roman calendar. Not only was the season an endless…