Oktoberfest 2013 is just around the corner and for every well-seasoned, beer-sipping, bratwurst-munching festival veteran, there's bound to be a few newcomers to one of Germany's largest fall festivals.
For the uninitiated, this year's Oktoberfest runs from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6 and continues what started as a horse race to celebrate the royal marriage of Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen back in 1810. Now, there's always a few places around the world to celebrate, but if you're looking for the heart of it all, head to Munich, Germany.
If you're in Munich, you won't be able to miss it thanks to the dozen or so beer tents set up in the Theresienwiese, a meadow near the centre of the city. But come expecting plenty of company.
The celebration is regarded as one of the largest food festivals and for good reason — the Winzerer Fähndl alone, the largest tent, can accommodate nearly 11,000 visitors. Factor in the other 30 or so tents and you've got yourself plenty of opportunities to make some pen pals. While it's not necessary to be fluent in German to attend the festival, a little effort goes a long way whenever you're in a foreign country.
Now, German isn't the easiest language to pick up, but some key terms the Daily Telegraph suggests to watch out for are "aufmandeln" which means to get angry, usually over the fact that it's tough to find a seat; "Aufstöin" which translates to donating a beer and "prost!" which travellers can expect to hear a lot because it means "cheers!"
While that's just scratching the surface, Huffington Post Canada Travel did some digging and with the help of Babbel.com, a language learning system, compiled a list of German phrases that travellers might want to put in their back pocket for the next 16 days.
So, brush up on your German and "prost" to another Oktoberfest!
12 Oktoberfest Phrases You'll Want To Know
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