A toast is a ritual during which a drink is taken as an expression of honour or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person, animal or object so honoured, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening", for whom someone "proposes a toast" to congratulate and for whom a third person "toasts" in agreement. The ritual forms the basis of the literary and performance genre, of which Mark Twain's "To the Babies" is a well-known example. The toast as described in this article is rooted in Western culture, but certain cultures outside that sphere have their own traditions in which consuming a drink is connected with ideas of celebration and honour. While the physical and verbal ritual of the toast may be elaborate and formal, merely raising one's glass towards someone or something or clinking glasses with someone else's and then drinking is essentially a toast as well, the message being one of goodwill towards the person, animal or object indicated.
History
According to various apocryphal stories, the custom of touching glasses evolved from concerns about poisoning. By one account, clinking glasses together would cause each drink to spill over into the others' (though there is no real evidence for such an origin). According to other stories, the word toast became associated with the custom in the 17th century, based on a custom of flavouring drinks with spiced toast. The word originally referred to the lady in whose honour the drink was proposed, her name being seen as figuratively flavouring the drink. The International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture says 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 words 'long life!' or 'to your health!'"
Situations
Toasts are generally offered at times of celebration or commemoration, including certain holidays, such as New Year's Eve. Other occasions include retirement celebrations, housewarming parties, births, etc. The protocol for toasting at weddings is comparatively elaborate and fixed. At a wedding reception, the father of the bride, in his role as host, regularly offers the first toast, thanking the guests for attending, offering tasteful remembrances of the bride's childhood, and wishing the newlyweds a happy life together. The best man usually proposes a toast in the form of best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds. A best man's toast takes the form of a short speech (3–5 minutes) that combines a mixture of humour and sincerity. The humour often comes in the shape of the best man telling jokes at the groom's expense, whilst the sincerity incorporates the praise and complimentary comments that a best man should make about the bride and groom, amongst others. The actual "toast" is then delivered at the end of the speech and is a short phrase wishing the newlyweds a happy, healthy, loving life together. The maid of honour may follow suit, appropriately tailoring her comments to the bride. The groom may offer the final toast, thanking the bride's parents for hosting the wedding, the wedding party for their participation, and finally dedicating the toast to the bridesmaids. Typical traditional wedding toasts include the following:
(to the couple)Here's to your coffinsMay they be made of hundred-year-old oaksWhich we shall plant tomorrow.May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you liveMay the best of your yesterdays be the worst of your tomorrows. (to the bride)May I see you greyAnd combing your grandchildren's hair. Toasts are also offered on patriotic occasions, as in the case of Stephen Decatur's famous "Our country! In our intercourse with foreign nations may we always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong." Equally traditional are satiric verses:
Here's to dear old Boston,The home of the bean and the cod,Where Lowells speak only to Cabots,And Cabots speak only to God.
Norms and etiquette of toasting
Toasts may be solemn, sentimental, humorous, bawdy, or insulting. The practice of announcing one's intention to propose a toast and signalling for quiet by rapping on the wineglass, while common, is regarded by some authorities as rude. Except in very small and informal gatherings, a toast is offered standing. At a gathering, none should offer a toast to the guest of honour until the host has had the opportunity to do so. In English-speaking countries, guests may signal their approval of the toast by saying "hear hear". The person honoured should neither stand nor drink, but after the toast should rise to thank the one who has offered the toast and take a drink, perhaps but not necessarily offering a toast in turn. As toasts may occur in long series, experienced attendees often make sure to leave enough wine in the glass to allow participation in numerous toasts. Putting one's glass down before the toast is complete, or simply holding one's glass without drinking is widely regarded as impolite, suggesting that one does not share the benevolent sentiments expressed in the toast, nor the unity and fellowship implicit in toasting itself. Even the non-drinker is advised not to refuse to allow wine to be poured into his glass for a toast. Inverting the glass is discouraged. Toasting traditionally involves alcoholic beverages. Champagne (or at least some variety of sparkling wine) is regarded as especially festive and is widely associated with New Year's Eve and other celebrations. Many people nowadays substitute sparkling fruit juice (often packaged in champagne-style bottles), and many authorities consider it perfectly acceptable to participate in a toast while drinking water. Toasting with an empty glass may be viewed by some as acceptable behaviour for the non-drinker, though feigning to drink from such a glass would probably be regarded as ridiculous. The person giving the toast should never do so with an empty glass, even if the glass contains nothing more than water. Teetotallers may view the drinking of toasts to be abominable and incompatible with their views, as witnessed by this narrative from The Teetotaler (1840):
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