The Beer Drinking Song To Follow When Celebrating Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is one the world's largest festivals, celebrating one of the world's most ancient alcoholic beverages — beer, the oldest iterations of which go back 8,000 years. Based in Munich, Germany, the festival has now gone international, with satellite celebrations taking place across several countries in late September and early October. While Oktoberfest's origin is associated with royalty, it is now a celebration of German beer culture. With that comes the essential beer-drinking song that has become synonymous with the festival.

Before you start panicking, this German song is so simple you can sing it even when you're a few beers down. Go to almost any Oktoberfest celebration and you are sure to hear a version of "Ein Prosit," a two-line jingle of good company, good health, and good beer that unites brew guzzlers. In addition to being simple to learn, sing, and understand, the iconic Oktoberfest song also has an interesting history. Depending on the crowd's enthusiasm, you may hear it resounding as frequently as a few times every hour, and it's hard to not get caught up in it. If you hear "die Krüge hoch," which in German means "raise your mugs," you'll know that another rendition of the song is about to start.

Surprisingly, "Ein Prosit" did not originate in the southern German state of Bavaria or its capital of Munich, the home of Oktoberfest. Instead, it was reportedly composed by Georg Kunoth from Bremen in the neighboring state of Saxony. Some also attribute the song to a composer named Bernhard Dietrich. Either way, the song was a far cry from becoming as iconic as it did.

However, it just so happened that a wealthy innkeeper named Georg Lang wanted to open the largest beer tent at Oktoberfest. When Lang debuted the expansive tent, he hired a 30-piece orchestra to entertain guests. So patrons could sing along, the entrepreneurial innkeeper also printed and distributed thousands of copies of a songbook. "Ein Prosit" was one of the melodies included. The popularity of Lang's boisterous beer tent fuelled the songs, and "Ein Prosit" is the one that endured (possibly because of its simplicity and effective message).

The song is essentially "Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit" which translates from German to "A toast, a toast, to coziness." This is followed by "Oans! Zwoa! Drie! G'suffa!" which means "One! Two! Three! Drink!" The word "Prosit" is also related to the word "Prost", which is the German equivalent of "cheers." Armed with these Oktoberfest essentials, you're ready to chime in with confidence whenever the iconic song breaks out. A little liquid courage from the beer won't hurt either, but if you want to keep things light, try a German radler with a lower alcohol level.