Be it a cup of coffee or a glass of beer, when drinking with someone next to us, the word “cheers” is bound to come out of our mouths.
It’s one of those things that we do as everyone does it and over the years it has become sort of a norm.
But why do people say cheers and is it just a social custom or does it carry with itself a meaning? Let’s find out!
Where does the word ‘cheers’ come from?
The word ‘cheers’ originates from the Old French term ‘chiere’ which means face or head. Over the years by the 18th century, the term began to be used as a way of expressing happiness and encouragement. Nowadays, it is used to express good wishes before drinking.
Why do people say cheers?
From spirituality to safety, there are numerous reasons why people clink their glasses together and say cheers. Here’s what they are!
Ensure safety: According to some theories, back in the day, people used to clink glasses and cheer loudly to avoid being poisoned. At that time, poisoning someone’s drink was the most common way of murdering them and thus it was believed that if glasses were filled to the brim and clinked together, a bit of drink from each glass would be exchanged with the other. Thus, clinking and cheering and then taking sips from the drink ensured that they were unharmed.
Enhance the senses: It is said the act of drinking involves all senses. You can see it, feel it, taste it and smell it. In order to involve the fifth sense of sound and complete the experience, people clink their glasses and say cheers.
Warding off the evil: In Medieval times, glasses were clinked and people loudly said cheers to ward off any demons or evil spirits. People also used to clink their glasses and spill some on the floor in the hope of leaving some for the bad spirits so that they would leave them alone.
For the gods: According to the International Handbook of Alcohol and Culture, toasting “is probably a secular vestige of ancient sacrificial libations in which a sacred liquid was offered to the gods: blood or wine in exchange for a wish, a prayer summarized in the word ‘long life!’ or ‘to your health!'”
Essentially, people would toast the drinks and offer them to gods in exchange for granting a wish.
