Origin
The origin of Märzenfest is tied to the more well-known festival of Oktoberfest. Without going through the long and fascinating history of beer in Germany, suffice to say that in 1553, summer brewing was outlawed by Duke Albrecht V in Bavaria (Some sources say there was a similar Bavarian ordinance in 1539). The authorities were always worried about the supply of healthy summer beer. They had learned that cold fermentation yielded a purer beer with better keeping qualities. However, the motive was not quite as pure as it seems. It was mired in politics, taxation and bureaucratic bribery. There’s also the consideration that brewery fires were more catastrophic and a danger to the whole town in the summer. The official brewing season was therefore restricted to between St. Michael's Day (September 29) and St. George's Day (April 23). Basically, Märzenfest (named after the month of March, März) is a celebration of Spring and the completion of a successful brewing season. Oktoberfest (named after the month of October) is a celebration of the return of the brewing season. Both reasons were as good as any to have a Bierfest (Beerfest).