IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Semiotics

  • Bier, Bratworst, Lederhosen, Oh My!

    OktoberfestCheers/Prost! Oktoberfest is known as a celebration of beer, food, and all things fun in Germany. But, the festival’s roots extend into a more romantic history. What is today’s excused to consume different breweries, German foods, and participate in many activities, started as a way to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. This couple took the concept of an “open bar” wedding to new levels, by having a festival five days later with horse races, performers, and Maerzen beer- an amber-gold lager with 6% alcohol and unique German hops. Over time, the festival has been tweaked and embellished with details like lederhosen and dirndls for the attire, parades, and multiple pubs in participation. More than 7 million people attend the opening ceremonies, and many are entertained from the first Saturday in September to the first Sunday of October.

    When you hear Oktoberfest, what do you think? Many individuals go straight to, “beer festival!” But, Oktoberfest is not a beer festival per se. We know… you’re probably experiencing shock and horror. What you are feeling is cognitive dissonance, experiencing a feeling of tension when your beliefs do not align with actions. There is nothing wrong with thinking Oktoberfest is a beer festival. Since Germany’s brand is associated with beer- that assumption is not far off. But as we stated before, this festival was originally to celebrate the marriage of two individuals in the 1800’s and as time went on, the original meaning faded due to tourists and lack of knowledge.  

    OktoberfestMovie_Teaser_PosterSo how did Oktoberfest get this brand associated with drinking beer and eating German foods? Besides the stereotype that Germans drink beer heavily, marketing through mass media has played a part in portraying this brand image. Popular movies such as Oktoberfest (2005) and Beerfest (2006) depict the common beliefs, attitudes and habits of what is assumed to occur at the festival in Munich, Germany. Since this event has been successful for the past 182 years, it’s brand engagement has spread internationally. The annual festival has become so large that Canada, Brazil, and Hong Kong are just a few countries that try to replicate it. In Michigan, as an imitation of the horse race they hold a Weiner dog race. The festival cliche does the marketing itself. A huge gathering with access to lots of food, drinks, and exciting activities! Who could turn down this celebration? People get excited about experiencing the brand of Oktoberfest that provides the collaborative culture.

    Lucky for us, we don’t have to travel to Munich to have a festival. Germany may have been the first to hold Oktoberfest, but the United States hasn’t missed out on the fun. Here are a few American cities who have taken their own twist on this German tradition.

    • Cincinnati, Ohio: Known for having the world’s second largest Oktoberfest, right behind Munich. Covering six blocks of downtown, the festival holds events which are quite unique:Running of the Weiners- Dachshund Dog race
      • Bratwurst-eating contest
      • Playing of the largest collection of Alpenhorns-Long wooden horn musical instruments.
      • As if the events and size are not enough, party goers can attend this festival for free!oktoberfest_mashup600x422
    • Glendale, Wisconsin has held its own Oktoberfest for more than 60 years. With its German roots dating back to the early 1800s when German immigrants first settled. This festival has a heavy focus on different foods:
      • Bratwurst, Spanferkel (pig roasted over a spit)
      • Pretzels
      • Beininstich (vanilla custard-filled dessert topped with almonds)
      • This festival occurs every Friday and Saturday night in September!
    • Mount Angel, Oregon hosts an Oktoberfest complete with bands, music, and dancing. The streets are lined with food and entertainment booths called Biergarten, Wiengarten, Prostgarden and Alpinegarten  – offering pretzels, German chocolate cake, sausage and wurst. This festival you don’t have to leave the little ones at home! That’s right – the festival has a “Kindergarten” with face painting, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Kids can participate in the Oktoberfest fun, despite being unable to fill their steins with cold brews like their parents.

    Revellers salute with beer after the opening of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich September 22, 2012. Millions of beer drinkers from around the world will come to the Bavarian capital over the next two weeks for the 179th Oktoberfest, which starts today and runs until October 7, 2012. REUTERS/Michael Dalder(GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) ORG XMIT: MDA28

    It’s interesting to look at the way words and symbols change over time. If you look through the history of any phrase or word, you will find the meanings behind them are often changed or have evolved over time- often landing far from where they started. This is explained in part by the theory of semiotics of language. Words take on new meanings, sometimes intentionally, most times naturally. In this case, we are applying the theory to an event, which is not its original purpose. You can look back year-by-year as the Oktoberfest transformed from a horse race that celebrated marriage, to an international beer and food festival.

    The 2015 Oktoberfest brought in 5.9 million guests from Munich and all over the world! This fall festival is on our bucket list, what’s on yours?

    -Jonathan Callahan, Erin Fouhy, Julia George, Joseph Hines, and Sarah Suggs

  • Semiotics of Halloween

    Fall marks the start of the holiday season, none more mischievous than Halloween. Through semiotics we use signs and symbols to interpret the world around us. Ferdinand de Saussure originally defined semiotics as a science that studies the life of signs within society, part of both social psychology and general psychology. When thinking what signs or symbols constitute Halloween, pumpkins, costumes, and candy may come to mind. These are consistent symbols in our society, but Halloween begins to represents different things as we get older. Younger children are only interested in trick-or-treating, carelessly walking through the neighborhood getting candy as a cautious parent or two watch from the bottom of each driveway. Teenagers tend to use the holiday in a more rebellious way as they cover trees in toilet paper, throw eggs at neighbors’ houses, and scare their younger counterparts. College students embrace Halloween as a time for costume parties and excessive drinking.

    Alcohol always seems to increase the chance of risk for any situation. For those who tend to get a little too rebellious, Halloween can represent a night they wish they could forget. Outrageous, appalling actions will also change the image portrayed by an organization, a university, and its students. East Carolina University suffered such an incident last year the day before Halloween when a large party at Riverwalk Townhomes could not keep people from attending and eventually turned into a riot. The following night being Halloween, WITN news reported, “In an email to all students last night, Chancellor Steve Ballard said any student involved in illegal activities on Halloween or the day after will also face possible disciplinary action from the university.” Although a diverse group of people were responsible for the riot, ECU’s image was put to shame and must implement a plan to restore their image to their publics. Semiotics is the science of communication and sign systems and the ways people understand phenomena and organize them mentally. The students that were a part of the riot last year have a different understanding of the semiotics of Halloween than most others would that did not have such an experience. The pumpkins and costumes may have been replaced with handcuffs and drinking tickets, replacing the previous symbols they associated with the holiday.

    Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic film like Dracula and Frankenstein, and characters such as these are artifacts for understanding a typical American Halloween. Black and orange define Halloween as the traditional colors, supernatural forces and spirits of the dead are brought back in the societal light, and black cats and spiders represent the bad omens that the holiday can bring about. For a number of ECU students, Halloween itself was a bad omen and the university is still dealing with image issues as they near the next Halloween. No organization seems like an inviting place after a major controversy that negated societal values. Remember to enjoy Halloween, but not too much!

    – Griffin Weidele, Austin Moody, Allen Wooten, Luci Keefer, Scott Uraro