A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature food and beverages, and often conversation, music, dancing, or other forms of entertainment.
Corps (or Korps; "das ~" (n), German pronunciation: [ˈkoːɐ] (sg.), (pl.)) are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung, Germany's traditional university corporations; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest corps still existing today was founded in 1789. Its members are referred to as corps students (Corpsstudenten). The corps belong to the tradition of student fraternities which wear couleur and practice academic fencing.
A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists only of students and/or alumni.
Studentenverbindung is the umbrella term for many different kinds of fraternity-type associations in German-speaking countries, including Corps, Burschenschaften, Landsmannschaften, Turnerschaften, and Catholic fraternities. Worldwide, there are over 1,600 Studentenverbindungen, about a thousand in Germany, with a total of over 190,000 members. In them, students spend their university years in an organized community, whose members stay connected even after graduation. A goal of this lifelong bond is to create contacts and friendships over many generations and to facilitate networking. The Lebensbund is very important for the longevity of these networks.
Academic fencing or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Estonia, and, to a minor extent, in Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland. It is a traditional, strictly regulated épée fight between two male members of different fraternities with sharp weapons. The German technical term Mensur in the 16th century referred to the specified distance between each of the fencers.
A cantus, is an activity organised by Belgian, Dutch, German, French, and Baltic fraternities. A cantus mainly involves singing traditional songs and drinking beer. It is governed by strict traditional rules. The use of this dates back a few centuries and was inspired by German student organisations; however some of the songs that are sung date back to the Middle Ages. Cantus probably shares same roots with commercium, sitsit and tableround.
A tableround is a traditional academic feast known at universities in most Middle and Eastern European countries. At a tableround, tables usually are placed in the form of a U or a W, the participants drink beer and sing commercium songs. A more formal form of the tableround is the commercium. Tableround probably shares the same roots with Cantus and Sitsit.
A beer garden is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees.
"De Brevitate Vitae", more commonly known as "Gaudeamus igitur" or just "Gaudeamus", is a popular academic commercium song in many European countries, mainly sung or performed at university graduation ceremonies. Despite its use as a formal graduation hymn, it is a jocular, light-hearted composition that pokes fun at university life. The song is thought to originate in a Latin manuscript from 1287. It is in the tradition of carpe diem with its exhortations to enjoy life. It was known as a beer-drinking song in many early universities and is the official song of many schools, colleges, universities, institutions, student societies and is the official anthem of the International University Sports Federation.
Katholische Academische Verbindung (K.A.V.) Lovania Leuven is a Catholic academic fraternity, founded in 1896 at the Catholic University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium. It is a German Studentenverbindung and is an affiliated member of the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen. Her motto is Semper Excelsius!. Its official coulours (Couleur) are green, white and red.
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music.
The Catholic German student corporation Saarland (Saarbrücken) Jena, founded in 1961, is a Catholic German academic fraternity. As all the other member fraternities of the Cartellverband (CV), the largest organization of academic persons in Germany, the members of the K.D.St.V. Saarland do not practise academic fencing (Mensur) because of their Catholic religion.
A Beer boot is a boot-shaped beer glass. Beer boots exist in sizes ranging from 0.5 litres (17 US fl oz) up to 5 litres, but 2 litres is a more typical size. Beer boots are commonly consumed communally and are popular with younger people as part of drinking games.
The Corps Altsachsen is a fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Dresden, Germany. It was founded on October 31, 1861 and is one of 162 German Student Corps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Latvia and Hungary today. The Corps is a member of the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent (WSC), the second oldest federation of classical Fraternities in Europe with roots dating back to the 15th century.
"Im schwarzen Walfisch zu Askalon" is a popular academic commercium song. It was known as a beer-drinking song in many German speaking ancient universities. Joseph Victor von Scheffel provided the lyrics under the title Altassyrisch 1854, the melody is from 1783 or earlier.
The Japanese student fraternity Akademische Vereinigung Edo Rhenania zu Tokio is the oldest Studentenverbindung in Asia. It is an associated member of the Union of Catholic German Student Fraternities (Cartellverband) and is officially acknowledged as a befriended fraternity by the Union of Catholic Austrian Student Fraternities. Until the foundation of KÖStV Golania zu Arné in Syria in 1994, it was the only Studentenverbindung in all of Asia, and until the foundation of AFV Sino-Germania zu Peking et Shanghai in China in 2014, the only one in East Asia. AV Edo-Rhenania continues to be the only member fraternity of the Cartellverband in Asia.
Quodlibet is a traditional card game and drinking game associated with central European student fraternities that is played with William Tell pattern cards and in which the dealer is known as the 'beer king'. It is a compendium, trick-taking game for 4 players using a 32-card pack of double German playing cards.
Leonensia is a male student fraternity (Studentenverbindung) in Heidelberg. Unlike most German fraternities, members wear no couleur and are not obliged to engage in academic fencing. It was founded in 1871 and ranks among Central Europe's oldest non-couleur-wearing fraternities. In 1919, Leonensia and five other fraternities founded the umbrella organization Miltenberger Ring.
The Corps Bavaria of Munich is a German Student Corps located in the City of Munich. The Fraternity is a founding member of the umbrella organisation "Kösener Senioren Convent" and unites current students of all Universities in Munich and Alumnus. As a German Corps it still practices the Mensur, the Members are wearing an academic ribbon as a sign of belonging. The fellows of the Corps are called "Bavarians from Munich", because in the early years only people from Bavaria were able to affiliate.
Burschenschaft Hannovera is the oldest Burschenschaft, a traditional liberal German Student fraternity or student corporation (Studentenverbindung), incorporated in Göttingen in the Revolution year 1848 (May) at the Georg August University of Göttingen. The founding group was a circle of graduates of the lyceum in Hanover who were studying at Göttingen. Hannovera was chosen as name because the founders where citizens of the Kingdom of Hanover. Hannovera is a lifelong bond (Lebensbund), which brings together students and alumni of Göttingen University. It is the only one of the classic German fraternities ever to include a woman: the Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind.
Invitation to a commercium in Eastern Germany 1988
Sorority students at a commercium in Riga, 2014
Heidelberg Wingolf's hall for commercia and roundtables
