Traditional clothes

I would like to ask whether the people wearing a traditional dress in the Munich central train station are going to the Oktoberfest for working or for fun. After I noticed at least half of the people in the station wearing leather shorts with long wool socks or white blouses with colorful skirts, my friends told me that those people were most probably “real Germans from Bayern” (the most south region of Germany confining with Austria) who dress up in the traditional clothes for going to one of the most famous festivals of beer in Europe, if not in the world.

My thought of them being waiters and sellers of the Oktoberfest who have to dress in a more or less fake traditional costume for helping the atmosphere of the beer-selling show. But no, people told me that Bayern people consider an honor to dress up in their particular skirts and pants, which they use in particular occasions or for going to celebrate what is still considered a real important traditional fest.

It actually looks a bit weird to see all these people in more or less medieval costumes around the modern train station. In particular, if this is not imposed by some market rules to sell beer better, and it is rather really felt like a still alive tradition, it is an interesting starting point to wonder the role and meaning of uses and costumes in our modern society. Despite of all inventions, we still behave socially (and celebrate) like at the costume time?