There was no mayhem and no obscene intoxication, and that is just what the Russian-German House wanted when it decided to celebrate Octoberfest, the legendary Munich beer festival, in Moscow last week.

Clad in traditional Bavarian clothing, musical troupes treated the roughly 200 guests who gathered at the House Oct.1, mostly Russians of German descent, with German folk songs and dances. With the conclusion of the performances, the drinking and socializing began, as beer in steins were passed around.

The Russian-German House's Octoberfest celebration, which continued on the following four evenings with jazz and classical music concerts and theatrical performances, coincided with the celebration of German Week in Moscow. In an effort to introduce Russians to foreign cultures, the Presidential Administration's Committee for the Third Millenium has organized the "Third Millenium" program, which has been funding celebrations of world cultures throughout the year.

The five-day celebration brought hundreds of German-Russians from around the country to the Russian-German House to become familiar with their unique heritage, each other and German culture, which for some was still a mystery.

Donated by the German government to the German-Russian community in 1998, the renovated, five-story Russian-German House is home to several German firms, the Moskau-Deutsche newspaper, and the International Union of German Culture. Besides hosting seminars, concerts and exhibitions dedicated to German culture, the House also contains a library and offers free introductory German language courses and an advisory service.

The House and the International Union of German Culture are dedicated to increasing the self-awareness and serve the needs of the once numerous and thriving Russian-German community, weakened first by deportations during the Second World War and recently by massive emigration to Germany following the collapse of the USSR.