mom and me, wine white Merlot

“Heres to you mom!” “Thank you for all you have done for me.  Words can not express what you have done for me and our family!  So I raise my glass to you” “Salud!”

When I say to people “I watch football and drink with my mom”  They look at me and ask me “Are you serious?!” and I say “she taught me everything I know” with a little added hyperbole.  Before we have dinner, after a long day of shopping, a great day in the park with nieces, nephews and grandkids, or a touch down celebration.  These are some of the reasons to “cheer” and share a drink.  So it came to me.  Where, when did this ritual begin, toasting and clinking of glasses?

The definition of toasting is: The act of raising a glass and drinking in honor of or to the health of a person or thing.  In many cultures, toasting is common when drinking. The general theme of the common brief toast is “good luck” or “good health.” At formal meals in certain countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, the first toast to be proposed is traditionally the Loyal Toast (“The Queen“). This may be adapted in other countries to give a loyal toast to the appropriate Head of State.

Some there believe the “clinking” of glasses originated in the medieval days  when  wine was often spiked with poison as the sediment concealed it quite well. If a host wanted to prove that the wine wasn’t poisoned, he would pour part of the guest’s wine into his glass and drink it first. If the guest trusted his host he would just clink glasses when the host offered his glass for a sample.  Hence the clinking of glasses has become a sign of trust, honesty and toast to good health.  Modern theories believe, after the communal cup stopped being passed around by people.  The clinging individual glasses was a way to still feel symbolically close while drinking together.

Here are a few examples of how to say “Cheers” to impress your friends.

* “Cheers” in the USA

* “Salud” (to health) in Spanish

* “Prost” (may it be good) in German

* “Kanpai” (bottoms up) in Japanese

* “Na zdoróvye (to health) in Russian

* “Mabuhay” (to life) in Filipino

* “L’Chayyim” (to life) Hebrew

As always workout, drink be merry.

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