It’s officially time to dust off your Lederhosen and lace up your Dirndl as Australia’s most beloved Oktoberfest celebrations are just around the corner.
Steins are clinking and bratwursts sizzling from Brisbane to Perth, Sydney to Darwin, Hobart to the Barossa, and right through to the outback towns and coastal communities.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tie the bow wisely
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It’s all meant to be festive fun, but be warned: wear your Dirndl the wrong way, and you might find yourself in a standoff over someone else’s beer and pretzel.
One key tradition still flies under the radar for many Aussie festivalgoers. And it all comes down to a bow.
The dirndl (pronounced deern-dull) is the traditional Bavarian dress worn by women at Oktoberfest. It features a fitted bodice, blouse, full skirt and an apron held in place with a small delicate bow.
And it isn’t just decorative. It quietly signals your relationship status.
All tied up in tradition
The word dirndl comes from Diernen (handmaid), an old term for maids who worked on farms in 19th-century Bavaria and Austria.
Back then, the dirndl wasn’t a party dress, it was everyday workwear.
A basic blouse and a sturdy dress, topped with an apron serving as a towel.
Forget silk and velvet, the aprons were often made from old bedsheets, and if you were lucky, the print wasn’t totally hideous.
No one wore it to festivals or beer tents. It was built for cleaning, milking cows and working the fields.
Around the 1930s, the dirndl had a serious glow-up.
City women heading to the mountains for holidays fell in love with the look of the local farm girls and gave it a glam upgrade.
The operetta The White Horse Inn written in the 1930’s helped kick off a full-blown dirndl craze.
It even hit Broadway in New York, where it ran for over 200 performances, before going on to perform around the globe, including Australia.
Suddenly, the traditional dress was trendy.
Different towns across Bavaria and Austria added their own flair, making each dirndl unique.
It’s a bit like country race day fashion. No two towns do it the same and everyone adds their own twist.
Quick guide: where to tie your dirndl bow
Today, dirndls are available in all kinds of fabrics, lengths and colours. Whether you want a short, playful style or a long, elegant look, there’s a dirndl to suit every taste and event.
The traditional dress flatters almost every woman with a fitted bodice which naturally lifts and shapes the bust for a flattering neckline.
The skirt flows over the hips for a graceful silhouette, while the apron, tied at the narrowest waist, sharpens and highlights the figure.
But where you tie that apron bow matters more than most Aussies realise.
“Right means you’re taken,” Schnucki Dirndl & Lederhosen explained.
“This practice stems from Europe, where husbands traditionally walked arm-in-arm on their wife’s left to shield her from the dirt and hazards of the street.
“Tying the apron bow on the right kept it clean and out of the way, which is why the dirndl apron bow on the right indicates she’s married or taken.”
Australia’s largest importer of traditional Bavarian outfits is run by the mother and daughter duo Regina Schusdzarra (aka Mama Schnucki) and Kim Zoulek.
Schnucki began in 2012 when the German mother and her daughter based in Brisbane noticed the lack of authentic German clothing at Oktoberfest Brisbane.
One year, they imported the unbelievable amount of a whole tonne of lederhosen ahead of Oktoberfest season in Australia.
The experts on dirndl code explain if tying your bow on the right signals you’re married or taken, then tying it on the left simply means the opposite — You’re single.
“Tying it at the back usually means a woman is either widowed or working in hospitality. Two very different roles, but both with their own kind of drama,” Regina and Kim added.
“Tying it in the front centre was once used to signify virginity.
“Or it could indicate undecidedness, which can take on a whole new meaning today,” they laughed.
“But usually the only children wear the bow in the front centre of the dress.”
For one Brisbane woman, it was an innocent fashion choice that led to some confusion.
“I tied the bow on the left because it balanced better with the way the apron sat,” Kathrin said, recalling her visit to the Brisbane German Club last year.
“But I had German guys chatting me up all night, I didn’t realise I was basically advertising that I was single, which I wasn’t.”
And while most Aussies won’t be scolded for getting it wrong, regulars say it’s worth knowing the meaning behind the tradition.
“It’s one of those fun little customs you don’t learn until you’ve been,” said Kim.
“You’ll get a laugh, but also maybe some attention you weren’t looking for.”
So before you raise your stein, start singing along to “Ein Prosit” and dance away to your local Oompah band, double-check that bow.
You’re here for a good time, not an awkward run-in with someone’s jealous partner.
As they say in Munich: “O’zapft is!” (the first keg is tapped) and the party’s on. Just don’t let your outfit pour out the wrong message.
“Tie wisely,” Kim added with a wink.
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