Prost Like a Pro

When traveling to Munich, Germany, recently, my husband and I attended Oktoberfest. It’s something I recommend you attend at least once. There are a zillion brewer’s tents to visit, but by far, the famous Hofbräuhaus was the place to be. It’s also a place where new friends are made, community happens, and a fun time is had by all. Plus, the food is great; pretzels, potato salad, and wursts, oh my! The star of this celebration….beer. Then there’s the band, people dancing on tables, and bad 80’s songs that just won’t die that are as popular here as Taylor Swift is in the US.

There is a lot of toasting happening. Like every two minutes. You might not know that there is etiquette and tradition to toasting in Germany. To kick off Oktoberfest, historically the mayor of Munich taps and opens the first barrel of beer with a wooden hammer. During this ritual, you will hear “O’zapft is!” meaning “It is tapped!” which is easily the most famous Oktoberfest phrase. And before everyone downs their first beer of the night, you will hear “Eins, zwei, drei” (1, 2, 3) or its Bavarian counterpart “Oans, zwoa, drei, g’suffa!” (1, 2, 3, drink!).¹

As you toast, however, there are rules about the beverage with which you toast and how you go about drinking it. It’s a tradition to always toast before you start to drink. It’s ok to toast with wine or spirits if you’re not drinking beer, but if you’re the designated driver, do not raise your glass of water. It’s considered bad luck. Another way to curse yourself, this time for seven years, is to not maintain eye contact while you toast one another, so raise your glass with pride and look your tablemates in the face. Germans must really be superstitious, because after clinking during your toast, you must take a few sips of your beverage or risk the wrath of the hop and barley gods.¹ One sip won’t do.

Steins are what the beer is served in and they look like thick, indestructible, barbell-worthy glasses. However, they’re thicker at the bottom than at the top. Because of their design, Germans “clink” their beer with the bottom of their glasses, not the top. Make the mistake by clinking with the top and you could end up with a pile of glass where a beer used to be. As the night wears on, if you’re the wine drinker, be mindful that your beer drinking counterparts might forget they’re wielding a weapon of mass destruction so be careful when performing the traditional clink.

Depending on which part of Germany you are in, you may hear different types of toasts being said. I have even heard some of these at the parties of my Polish and Finnish friends, so they’re not necessarily unique to just Germans. “Prost” (to life or to health) is typically used for drinking beer and is a very common phrase. Nowadays, you may hear “Cheers” more because English is being integrated more and more into the German vocabulary, especially by younger generations. “Auf’s Wohl” (on health) is usually used when drinking wine or spirits, and if you really want to score points with the native-speaking locals, say “zum wohl” (to your health).¹

“Broscht” is a Swiss/German version of “Prost”, and the one I heard used most often in the beer tents of Oktoberfest was “zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!” which means “ a toast, a toast, and a cozy place.”¹ This phrase is then generally followed by the customary “Prost” and summarily chugging the entire beer. It’s definitely a sight to behold.

Now when your travel plans include a trip to Germany in September (which is oddly the month for Oktoberfest), you are prepared to join the worlds largest neighborhood party.

Have you attended Oktoberfest before? Did you learn a tip we should know?
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1. Fluent Forever. The Science of Language Learning. 7 Popular Ways to Say Cheers in German Like a Native Speaker. May 26, 2022. https://blog.fluent-forever.com/cheers-in-german/