Singing songs and drinking beer; the two most important actions during a beer cantus. Standing/sitting at long tables, students sing from a songbook and, after toasting, they drink jugs full of beer. This also involves punishments, Latin words and themes. The beer cantus is a true student tradition.
What is a beer cantus?
A beer cantus is a party where drinking beer and singing music are central. During a cantus, students sit at long tables, but as soon as a song is sung, everyone is supposed to stand up. Everyone sings songs from the songbook together; a booklet containing the lyrics of the songs that will be played. A cantus band, usually standing on a stage, determines the order of the songs. After every song or every two songs, everyone present drinks his or her beer in one go, also called an ‘atje’. A beer cantus is usually organized by a university, by a study or student association or by another group of students. Universities are usually the direct organizers of introduction weeks; they then organize a cantus to ensure that new students get to know each other. Cantuses at other times are usually organized by student associations, i.e. indirectly from the university.
Songs
During a beer cantus, Dutch, English and German songs are usually sung. These songs may differ per cantus, although there are a number of songs that often appear in the songbook. A cantus often starts with the ‘Wilhelmus’. Furthermore, the songs ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams and ‘Jan Klaassen de trumpeter’ by Rob de Nijs are at the top of the Top 10 Biercantus Songs. During this last song it can be seen as normal for the entire audience to perform the polonaise. Sometimes the song ‘Ein Prosit’, which is seen as a kind of folk song, or ‘Trink, trink, Brüderlein trink’ by Gus Backus is sung before drinking. At a beer cantus it doesn’t matter how pure or out of tune you sing: everyone sings along with the cantus band. The purpose of a cantus is therefore fun.
To punish
One beer cantus is stricter than the other. It is possible that students are ‘punished’ if they do something that is not allowed according to the cantus rules. This includes not being allowed to go to the toilet during the cantus (but during the break if there is one), not being allowed to stand on the tables and not being allowed to drink while singing. If a student breaks a rule, he or she can expect a punishment that often involves drinking even more beer. This can be a normal ‘atje’, but also, for example, a ‘atje shoe’. This means that a student must empty a beer into his or her shoe and then drink it in one go. There is also a ‘stretched drink’, where the student has to drink his or her beer with an outstretched arm.
Latin
Cantus means ‘song’ in Latin. More Latin words are used in a number of beer cantuses. For example, the ‘praeses’ is the chairman, and when a student asks this chairman a question, he or she can answer ‘Habes!’ (positive) or ‘Non habes!’ get (negative).
Theme
A beer cantus can have a theme. For example ‘Après-ski’ or ‘Zoo’. If a cantus has a theme, those present are expected to dress according to the theme.
Origin
The cantus originated from the gathering of students in the late Middle Ages. Students from a certain area came together to talk, drink and sing. However, these moments of gathering were not really organized. The organized cantuses emerged at the onset of the industrial revolution, a period in which major organizational changes took place in several areas.