Oktoberfest 101

Ever wonder how Chickens and the Chicken Dance landed at Oktoberfest? Or what all those chanting cheers mean? And why do some of the guys in Lederhosen have half-socks and some full socks?

The following is a brief run-down of some of the cheers, chants, words and things you'll see at Oktoberfest that might have you wondering...

Let's start out easy....

Herzlich Willkommen
A Hearty Welcome

Knockwurst
A knockwurst is a german sausage made mostly from beef. It is the equivalent of our hot dog, only much larger. Unlike in America, the Germans do not eat their sausages with ketchup, but rather with a spicy mustard and on a roll that is much smaller than the standard hot dog bun, more like a dinner-sized roll.

Bratwurst
A bratwurst is a white sausage made from veal, pork and a variety of German spices. It is generally served grilled or fried (braten is the German word meaning fried) and in Germany is smothered in grilled onions and spicy mustard.

Eins, Zwei, Drei G'Suffa
One, Two, Three Drink! This is the wind up to taking a swig of beer.

Prost!
Cheers!

Zicke-Zicka, Zicke-Zicka, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!
A soccer cheer that originally developed somewhere in Northern Germany, zicke-zicka doesn't really mean much of anything other than it is fun to shout after taking a swig of an ice cold beer.

Gaudi
Gaudi doesn't necessarily translate directly into English. It means to have "great fun and good times". The Gaudi Truppe is the fun patrol and the hosts and hostesses teams at the Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest.

Gemutlichkeit
Gemutlichkeit is the feeling of well being. It is the feeling you get when enjoying a cold beer with good food and great company.

The Chicken Dance
In Germany this dance is actually called Die Ente Tanz which literally translates to the Duck Dance. How a duck became a chicken isn't quite clear. The most common explanation is that an American saw the dance being done in a beer tent in Germany and not able to speak German, thought that the crowd was imitating a chicken. When the Germans celebrate they love to dance and sing. Every few years a new dance craze comes along. The Chicken Dance was one of these dances. They have been doing the chicken dance in Germany for more than 22 years.

Budenstrasse
Budenstrasse literally translates to the Avenue of the Booths, which is the fairway at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. It features games of skill, souvenirs, crafts and food booths. At the Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest the Budenstrasse is much the same with games, arts and crafts and tasty treats.

Lederhosen
Lederhosen are leather shorts traditionally worn in the mountainous regions of Germany. Their origin dates back to the early Middle Ages. They became increasingly popular in the early 1900s with the boys of the Wandervogel (Boy Scouts), who wore them much like we wear jeans today. They are worn with a variety of socks including knee socks or the split socks — loferl. The socks were a means of keeping the legs warm. The split socks or loferl were a poor man's socks, designed to keep the ankles and veins in the legs warm, while not using as much wool.

Dirndl
The dirndl is the traditional folk-style dress of the working class in Germany. The Tracht is also a traditional dress but was usually only worn on Sundays or by the upper classes. While the dirndl was made to accentuate the women's body, the Tracht plays down the women's body. The Tracht is designed per the region or clanship. The dirndl has no real design limits and is generally decorated by the whimsy of the designer.

Auf Wiedersehen
Good-Bye