Why do people chink and then drink and say "cheers!" or some other translation of the same meaning of the word?

Are you sure you didn’t mean “clink”? Or do you have a problem with Chinese people?

I’d bet it’s descended from some sort of blessing to whatever gods of the past. That’s just a guess.

Courtesy. I wish you happiness from this glass of spirit.

Na Zdravi!

I heard once that you touch glasses so that your drink sloshes into everyone’s drink. That way no one is likely to have poisoned you as they would be drinking the poison then as well. But that’s just something I heard, I don’t know how true it is. Logically, then you would drink to health and, you know, not having been poisoned.

@EmpressPixie I really like that answer. It does sound like it could be something they did back in the 15 or 1600’s. Paranoid people that they were.

It’s a bit long to put a synopsis here, but according to this person EmpressPixie and aprilsimnel both have parts of the tradition correct. The site I linked to even shows what appears to be people toasting with their glasses back in ancient Babylon.

No one likes to drink alone

More answers.

In most countries the wish is “to your health” or something like that. But it could also be “to your happiness”. Drinking and wishing (ie toasting) is an intrinsic part of celebrations that included feasting and the consumption of alcohol (at times when both of these were considered luxuries).

The origin of the quaffing is Scandinavian. It has to do with trust, and the suspicion that someone may have put poison in your cup. By hitting the (usually wooden) cups together, both drinks got mixed, so there was no doubt that, if the host had wanted to poison the guest, he’d get poisoned too. This mixing also symbolised the “mingling” of the people involved. Over the years, the wooden cups were replaced by glasses, so we now just clink softly symbolically.

I think my favorite version of the tradition is the Greek idea that all the senses should be a part of the celebration (from the same link above):

In Ancient Greece, before the “Yimas” (to your health, or cheers), noise played a part in drinking as well. A myth I have heard is that wine, as well as all other things spiritual and beautiful, must appease and tempt each sense. The bouquet of the wine is for the nose, the colour for the eye, the body for taste and touch, and, of course, the clinking of the goblet for the ear. Ancient Greeks had other reasons for clinking cups: the first drink (the Proposis, or “the drink before”) was taken by the gods and not the mortals whom imbibed the rest of the drink. The Homeric ritual for this act involved rising to one’s feet and holding a drink in the right hand aloft, and then with both hands in air, praying “to the gods!” and then deliberately spilling some of the drink.

So I guess that last part is a bit like pouring out some for fallen “homies”

@fireside Interesting inthoughts. Some extra notes:

“yiamas” comes from “stin ygeia mas” (to our health)

yes, I’ve heard that myth too, but I think it comes from modern-day France, rather than Ancient Greece. That’s how connoiseurs test wine (shake it, smell it, etc).

Interesting explanation of the Proposis, I’d never though of that. It would make more sense than the Scandinavian version.

btw Greeks always used to mix wine with water. Maybe that’s relevant too, maybe they spilt some and then filled the rest of the cup with water.

When kings or rulers would make deals, they would clink their glasses together so the wine would spill over into the other person’s glass. This ensured that if the other king tried to poison you, he would get poisoned too.

I don’t know how it originated, but I do know that when I was in Germany they told me I had to be looking into someone’s eyes when I did (if it was a group maintain eye contact with someone) or else it would be seven years bad sex. Now, i’m not sure where they got that from…but who am I to test it?!

@adreamofautumn Well I heard that too when I was in Germany, but all the sex I had there was great! So don’t believe it.