(U-WIRE) SAN JOSE, Calif. – “Zicke-zacke, zicke-zacke, hoy, hoy, hoy,” yelled the band The Internationals to the rowdy crowd as everyone, including the band, held up shots and beers for a festive German “prost,” or cheer, during Oktoberfest at Teske’s Germania in San Jose, Calif.

“It’s like a fraternity-style drinking chant,” said Romey Sabalius, a professor of German at San Jose State University.

Oktoberfest dates back to a royal wedding in 1810 between the Bavarian crown Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, where a festival was held as a wedding celebration, Sabalius said.

“They held a huge party at a park in the center of the city called Theresien-Wiese in huge beer tents,” Sabalius said. “People sat together in long benches in rows and danced to traditional German music. However, Oktoberfest is much more popular elsewhere.”

The purpose of the celebration was to give thanks to the Lord for the past year’s crops and other blessings, as well as to share in the joy of family in the spirit of true love, Sabalius said.

Teske’s Germania, a family-owned German bar and restaurant, is celebrating Oktoberfest, which started on Sept. 24 and will go through the month of October, featuring traditional music from The Internationals.

The Baumman family bought Teske’s from the Teske family in 1990, and brothers Greg and Scott and sister Cindy currently run Teske’s with their father, Hans, Greg Baumman said.

“We’ve been doing this for 14 years,” Greg said. “We always have fun – good beer and good music.”

The 110-year-old building has a bar and a formal dining area, as well as a beer garden in the back with long tables that are reminiscent of the Oktoberfest that is held in Munich, Germany.

A large party of friends came not only to celebrate Oktoberfest, but also to celebrate Isaiah Fine’s 29th birthday, said long-time friend Mark Sweeney.

“We’re a great group of friends,” said Sweeney, a firefighter from Salinas, Calif. “The food was good. We all ordered something different and everyone shared it – good times.”

-Maria Villalobos

As part of the festivities, many people who attended Friday’s party took shots of German liquor called “Feigling,” a fig-flavored vodka, said Julie Sopczak, the beer garden bartender.

“Feigling means coward,” German Professor Sabalius said. “A dare – to drink all the shot.”

The party of friends bought a case. They also bought the band shots and the German prost once again filled the air. “Zicke-zacke, zicke-zacke, hoy, hoy, hoy,” and the group pounded the small bottles upside down on the table, then chugged the drinks.

“I’m a three-year veteran,” said Fine, who was celebrating his birthday. “It’s been a long, hard war on my liver — I will triumph.”

The meaning of Oktoberfest is also about being responsible, Fine said.

“It’s all about getting people drunk and having a good time,” Fine said, raising his liter in the air. “And it’s about taking a taxi home. No one can afford a DUI in (California),” Fine said.

Dalia Petrys, a regular at Teske’s, said she and her husband come every Friday and Saturday.

“We’re loyal customers,” Petrys said. “We’re groupies for the band – for the bar.”

Another loyal and regular, Carole Jameson, said her last name is like the Irish whiskey and she is Italian, but speaks German.

“I come for the camaraderie. It’s like family here with all the regulars, and everyone knows everyone,” said Jameson, who drives every Friday from Almaden Valley, Calif. “It’s like a kneipe – a place where friends go and have a beer.”

Jameson said her desire to learn German came when she met a former prisoner of war who was captured in a submarine. He only spoke German and she wanted to hear his story, so that prompted her to learn German.

She said she visits Germany twice a year and stays away from the Oktoberfest in Munich.

“There are too many Americans,” Jameson said. “I like to go to the small German festivals.”

The Internationals, who have been playing together for 37 years, dress in traditional German attire – lederhosen that looks like decorative suspenders attached to knickers and a “Tiroler-hut” hat with a large feather called a “Gamsbart.”

SJSU alumnus Portor Goltz does the percussions and vocals. He said the Gamsbart is a sign of royalty.

“In Germany, the bigger they are, the more blessed you are,” Goltz said.

Goltz met Bobby Maggiora, who plays the accordion and the keyboard and provides vocals, in high school in 1969, and soon after they formed The Internationals, with Jan Meere playing the brass instruments and Steve McGinnis, who plays bass guitar and sings and yodels.

The band performed in Europe at the 1997 Oktoberfest. They perform year-round and exude a lot of energy, Maggiora said.

“We can metabolize the drinks because we have a lot of energy,” Maggiora said about doing shots with the crowd. “This time of the year we’re out every weekend, and we are getting older, so we have to watch ourselves.”

Many patrons don’t come only to enjoy the restaurant and bar, but also to listen to the band.

“I’ve been coming to for three to four years,” Carisa Keller said. “I’ve seen this band 20 times.”

The atmosphere and the outdoor ambience bring Keller back, and she said she calls this corner her “little Europe,” because of Teske’s Germania and Trials Pub next-door.

Hans Baumman, the father, said he arrived in San Jose from Alaska in 1959 and fell in love with the beautiful architecture and the dark wood, but said he also fancies the mix of people.

“My favorite part is making money and meeting beautiful girls – preferably girls with lots of money,” Hans said.

By the end of the night, Teske’s had served 800 half-liters of Spaten and 280 dinners, Greg Baumman said.