What do Americans say before they drink. Toasts in different countries: we look into the eyes, we speak from the heart

) - short speech, in front of the audience, preceding the drinking of alcoholic beverages, intended to emphasize the importance of the moment.

Etymology of the word

In Russian, the word was borrowed from English; historically in Rus', toasts were called "toast". Borrowing occurred in the first half of the 19th century, the word "toast" as a "feast wish" was already recorded in the Dictionary of the Church Slavonic and Russian Language, published in 1847.

see also

Notes

1. toast // Russian thought and speech. Yours and someone else's. Experience of Russian phraseology. Collection of figurative words and parables. T.T. 1-2. Walking and well-aimed words. Collection of Russian and foreign quotations, proverbs, sayings, proverbial expressions and individual words. SPb., type. Ak. Sciences.. M. I. Mikhelson. 1896-1912.
2. Marian Vuitovich. English lexical borrowings in Russian dictionaries XIX century // Studia Rossica Posnaniensia 27, 187-193. 199. (Russian) S. 189.
3. Frances E. Dolan.Chapter 15 - Toast and the Familiar in Children's Literature // Food and Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2018. (English) p. 295.

There are many legends about the Vikings: that they wore horned helmets, robbed villages, were sloppy and did nothing but fight. However, not all of these stories are true, say members of the Sköl Historical Reenactment Club. And you can trust their words, because they can live for weeks the way the Scandinavians lived in the 9th-10th centuries.

At the festival of historical reconstruction. Photo: Dmitry Dolzhnikov

The whole truth about Vikings

First of all, you should know that Viking is not a nationality, but rather an occupation. This group could include not only Scandinavians, but also Slavs, Europeans, and even Arabs. All of them were united by a common occupation, and this, oddly enough, was trade.

True, the Vikings traded in a peculiar way: they approached the village on a ship and assessed whether its inhabitants could resist. If they can, then it is easier to trade with the village. If not, you can go to war with her.

The red shield on the mast of the drakkar meant that the village was waiting for an armed invasion. The inhabitants had to accept the fight or run away. More often, of course, they fled, leaving what they could not carry. The Vikings had only to enter the village and take everything that was left of value there.

The noun "Viking" has two parts. The ending "ing" denotes belonging to a certain group of people. The word "vik" in Old Norse means "mouth of the river": the ships on which the Scandinavians sailed - drakkars - had a very low landing, so from the sea they could enter the mouth of the river and pass along it.

Often, younger sons became warriors, who did not get any money or land. They had no other choice but to go and make money with the sword. However, you cannot call such a share unenviable: the vigilantes were very respected, and the campaigns were in a good way see the world and provide for yourself.

Another option was to become a mercenary. The Scandinavians were very tall, the average height was 1.8 meters, while in Europe it was 1.4-1.6 meters.

“In the same Byzantium, it was considered very honorable to have a Varangian squad,” said Dmitry Vorobyov, a member of the Sköl club. “Imagine: a little Arab is walking, one and a half meters tall, in a turban, and two hefty Vikings are walking behind. And it’s good for an Arab, because everyone immediately makes way for him, and it’s not bad for the Vikings - go after this shorty, hardly anyone will dare to attack you.

Dmitry Vorobyov. Photo: Nikolai Smirnov

With axes but no horns

Be that as it may, the main occupation of the Vikings was military affairs - in this sense, myths do not lie. That's why important part A reenactment is a re-creation of the weapons of that era.

- The equipment as a whole was not so big: it included a helmet, an ax and a shield, and all this weighed no more than 10 kg, - said Alexander Shcherbakov. - Chain mail was an expensive pleasure, only a very noble warrior could afford it. It consisted of riveted and non-riveted rings. At that time, there was little iron, and it was difficult to find a blacksmith who could do such delicate work. Many warriors didn't even have helmets.

The most common weapons were axes, they were made small and light, used both in the household and in battle.

Here are two axes: one of them is combat, the other is universal, it could serve both in combat and in everyday life. It is easy to distinguish them: at the battle ax with reverse side coinage, which ended in a pointed spike. With a hammer, you can easily pierce a helmet, while it is difficult to do this with an ax itself, and with a blade it is almost impossible at all.

The sword, according to Vladimir Ilyukha, was also a very expensive thing. In the time of Charlemagne (around the 9th century AD), a sword with a scabbard cost seven cows. For comparison: a helmet would have cost at that time six cows, chain mail - 12 cows, the same cost as a war horse. Not everyone had such a herd, especially since it was not an easy task to save cattle from forest predators.

The quality of the metal in the Viking Age was not very good, so the sword weighed quite impressively. To make it easier, a dol was made on the blade - a kind of gutter. And it's not bloodthirsty at all, as many people think about it.

What Vikings definitely didn't wear was horned helmets. More precisely, they existed, but they were ritual, they did not go into battle in such. Brutal Scandinavians, going to the enemy in a helmet with horns, were invented in opera house: in one of the performances, warriors in just such attire were painted on the back.

Which of these helmets is Slavic? Correct answer: one that has a spheroconical shape. He is more advanced: chopping blows slide over him, the power of the blow is lost. The European helmet is spherical, it protects worse.

The Vikings used little defensive weapons. They could hide from small arms with a shield or strike the enemy, because he had a fist grip in that era. Even with his help, it was possible to disarm the enemy: he hit the shield, the weapon got stuck in the tree, the shield was thrown away and then they went into battle without it.

Not very good neighbors

The club has existed for ten years and is engaged in the reconstruction of the Viking Age (IX-XI centuries AD). "Skölings" restore the way of life, military culture and crafts of the Slavs, Scandinavians, Korelas and Finns. It was no coincidence that the Vikings were chosen as a model: it turns out that the Karelians had very close ties with these warlike people.

Two trade routes once passed through the territory of Karelia - “from the Varangians to the Greeks” and “from the Varangians to the Arabs”. Therefore, the Vikings often walked these lands, with them the local tribes had trade relations and frequent military skirmishes.

At the festival of historical reconstruction. Photo: Pavel Polyansky

Trade routes passed mainly along the rivers. Ships could even drag part of the way. The inhabitants of many villages earned money by doing this: they were hired for money and dragged longships. In addition, they sold furs, in return they received various goods.

Karelians, side by side with the Vikings, quickly turned into warriors themselves. So, for example, they robbed the capital of Finland twice. And the most famous campaign took place in the XIV century, then the Karelians, together with the Novgorodians, plundered the capital of Sweden. It was then that the Swedes prudently decided to move main city away from the border.

How to turn into vikings

Historical reenactors are scientists to some extent: they read chronicles, sagas, study archeological data and on their basis accurately recreate the weapons, clothes and utensils of the Viking Age.

Everything that can be made, sewn and cooked is used at festivals, where reenactors from different cities come together. They live in tents, but not in modern ones, but in those in which the ancient Scandinavians lived. They say that they are even more comfortable - more stable and the ceiling is higher.

This is how the tent camp of modern Vikings looks like. Photo: Mikhail Letov

“At festivals, we try to live the way people lived in our imagination at that time,” said Dmitry Vorobyov. - We exclude some products that did not exist then (for example, tomatoes or potatoes). We don't smoke because the Vikings didn't know tobacco. Some don't even wear glasses because eyeglass lenses were almost non-existent at the time.

You can even get married at the festival of historical reconstruction - the main thing is that there is someone in the camp who is engaged in the restoration of the marriage ceremony.

“We have one couple who came to the club when they were 18 years old,” said Natalia Denisova. - They went to the festival for the first time, and there was a girl from Yelets, who, using sagas and research, tried to recreate the wedding ceremony. She did something, she took our guys and put them together. After that, they converged and diverged several times and now live together. Since then, 10 years have passed.

Reconstruction is a way of life, say the Skölings. You will not be able to calmly watch any historical film, you will constantly study new materials, redo, refine and correct something.

The reconstruction consists of three parts: the first is the selection and study of sources, the second is the production of costumes and other things based on the technologies of that time. It comes to the point that some people extract flashy iron from the swamp and forge weapons from it - for example, knives. This, of course, is a rarity, but such reenactors do occur.

The third stage is experience. Reconstruction is not limited to making a sword, admiring it and putting it on a shelf. Why, if you can ring them on other people's helmets?

Festivals make you take a fresh look at the era in which you live, they say "skölings".

“You will never understand the beauty of sanitary ware until you live a week in an open field,” Dmitry shared. - The toilet bowl is a divine invention, you pray for it after many days at the festival. You will never understand the usefulness of a hard sole until you walk through the Karelian forest in leather shoes, collect all the roots, bumps, stones, and fill yourself with a bruise on your foot.

The Viking Age should not be romanticized, Natalya Denisova is sure. At that time, as in any other, life was very ordinary: people cooked food, washed clothes, worked and rested, married and raised children. It's just that all this was done in slightly different conditions, which the members of the club are trying to recreate.

It's no secret that the word "toast" came to us from in English and means lightly toasted slice of bread. Once upon a time, the inhabitants of Britain, before drinking wine or other strong ones, dipped this roasted piece into it so that the drink absorbed the bread flavor. But this custom became less popular in those days when pouring poison into the goblet of one's companion was considered a formal act to achieve one's own benefit, whether it be a throne or a frisky horse.
The stories of mysterious poisonings were quickly revealed, therefore, according to the new rules, the host of the celebration, in order to convince the guests of the sincerity and safety of his holiday, poured some wine into his glass, drank it, and then the guests exchanged their wine and symbolically connected the glasses in the center of the table. In the era of Charlemagne, knights clanged with silver goblets, and the louder the ringing, the more important was the cause of the event.

Over time, the tradition was forgotten, but thanks to historical chronicles, where these “toasts” were mentioned, a modern interpretation arose: to say a couple of words (toast) before drinking at a large table.

Below are phrases and expressions that are included in the list of the most important words in any journey:

AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND: similar variants are "prosit" (Austria) and "prosht" (Switzerland). The letter "sh" must be distinct.

ENGLAND: in the UK it is not customary to make toasts and clink glasses. Before drinking, the English raise their glass and say “Cheers” (“chiez”), which in this case means “Hurrah”.

AMERICA: long drinking speeches are also not accepted. Raising a glass of alcohol, they say either the English manner "Cheers" or the German "Prosit".

BELARUS: universal toast - "budzma", that is, "we will".

GERMANY: Germans traditionally drink after one of the hosts says “Prosit” (“prosit”). The Germans say “Prosit” or “simple”. Another common version of the toast is “tsumvol” (Zum Wohl), which means “for health (well-being)". Simply put, "for you!". Also in Germany they can say "noh ain mal", which means "one more time".

ISRAEL: the most common toast is “LChayim” (“li haim”), which means “for life”.

IRELAND: here they say "Slainte" - "sleint".

SPAIN: similar to the Italians "salud", but be sure to focus on the "d" at the end. A longer option for the trained: "arribo - abajo - al centro - al dentro", which means "up - down - towards yourself - inside." These words must necessarily coincide with the movement of the glass.

ITALY: Italians prefer "salute" or voiced "chin-chin".

CHINA: in China they practice toasting, but clinking glasses is not considered obligatory at all. In special cases, it is necessary to observe the old tradition. To show respect, the younger in age or position should clink the top of his glass on the stem of the glass of the older in age or position. In this way, he shows that he puts his companion above himself. If the person pouring drinks does not fill the glasses to the very brim, this may be regarded as disrespectful.
Raising a glass, in China they say “gan bey”, which literally means “so that the river becomes shallow”, and in Russian “drink to the bottom”.

POLAND: the very familiar "Nazdrowie" ("for health"). Apparently, this is where the legend of the universal Russian toast originates.

IN SCANDINAVIAN countries (DENMARK, NORWAY and SWEDEN) it is customary to clink glasses at the table. By tradition, the owner of the house with a glass in his hands should address each of those sitting at the table with the phrase "Skoal" ("skol"). A toast to the hostess and host at the end of the meal is considered indecent. The Swedes are very fond of observing small traditions at the table. In an exemplary family, the owner of the house raises a glass as a sign of greeting and, addressing each guest, says “skol”. Every time these words are heard, everyone exchanges glances, drinks and looks into each other's eyes again.

THAILAND: Here, too, they drink very little, but you can rarely hear “chai yo” from the locals, which means “cheers” (in written form - ?????) or “chon kaev” (“let's drink!”).

FRANCE: and they are talking about health. The full toast is "A votre sante". In the company of friends, you can say briefly with an emphasis on the last “e” - “sante”.

CZECH REPUBLIC: also native Slavic "Na zdrav" ("to health").

When making toasts abroad, you need to hit the glasses with each one separately and be sure to look the person in the eye.
As a rule, it is not customary to stretch your hand far across the table, and a man should hold his glass below that of a woman.

Explain to a foreigner that the expression "To your health!" exists only for foreigners, and that it is rarely used in Russia is impossible. Since it is much more difficult for foreigners to pronounce “TO YOUR health”, they will torment you with this docked “to your health” until the end of time.

In order not to be as impolite, it is better to learn how and what to pronounce when drinking in company in different countries peace.

10th place: In principle, foreigners can be understood. In Poland they say "Nazdrowie" - "Nazdrowie". Slavic languages for many Germanic and Romance-speakers they sound similar, and Russia and Poland lie somewhere in the same area. At the same time, for some reason, it does not occur to foreigners that it can be said even more simply, “For you!” or "For us!"

9th place: Slightly different from the Polish "nazrovya" Czech: "Na zdrav" - "To health."

8th place: The French also commemorate health. The full toast sounds like "A votre sante". In the company of friends, you can just say "SantE", that's enough. By the way, keep in mind that when making toasts abroad, you need to clink glasses with each one separately and be sure to look the person in the eye. The Russian habit of making "heap-small" out of clinking glasses causes panic among foreigners. When you try to clink glasses with everyone at once, they pull back their glass so that, God forbid, the glasses do not cross each other.

7th place: The British do not clink glasses at all. Health, too, prefer not to touch. Limit yourself to short "Cheers", which is accepted both in Great Britain and in America. By the way, note: in no country does anyone clink glasses with people who drink something really healthy, for example, juice.

6th place: The Germans say "Prosit" or "Prost". You should drink only when the owner of the house says “Prost”. Another common version of the toast is “Tsumvol”, which means “For you!”.

5th place: The Swiss and Austrian version of "Prosita" sounds funny: "Prosht". The more distinctly you pronounce "Sh" at the same time, the better. By the way, as in Russia, in Germany they can easily say “noh ain mal”, which means “one more time”.

4th place: In Swedish you need to say "Skoal" - "How much". Swedes love to observe small traditions at the table. According to custom, the owner of the house raises a glass as a sign of greeting and, addressing everyone, says "skol". Every time this toast is made, everyone exchanges glances, drinks and looks into each other's eyes again.

3rd place: The Irish say "Slainte" - "Sleint", and the Italians and Spaniards prefer "Salute" while in Spanish it must be pronounced with a "D" at the end, Salud. However, in some areas of Italy they speak the well-known “chin-chin”.

2nd place: In Yiddish, the most common toast sounds like "LChayim" - "Lee Haim".

1st place: China - the classic country of ceremonies. Toasts are accepted there, but it is not necessary to clink glasses. If they clink glasses, then they observe the old rule: the younger (by age or position) should clink the top of his glass on the stem of the glass, which raises the elder (by age or position), thereby showing that he puts himself below the companion. The pouring drink should fill other people's glasses to the brim, otherwise it will look like disrespect. Clinking glasses, they say "kan pei" or "kampai", which corresponds to the Russian "drink to the bottom", and translated from Chinese "so that the river becomes shallow."

Have you ever sat at a table with foreigners: so that slowly, sincerely, with conversations and good drinks?

If it hasn't happened yet, then surely such a case will present itself in 2012, when football fans from all over the world will pour into Ukraine.

And to feel comfortable in the company - study the rules of drinking with a bottle of good French, Italian or Chilean wine. Or any other drink from another country in the world. Today in Ukraine you can buy almost all alcohol, worth it to try it - in any wine market they will listen to you, advise and select you.

The modern toast is the most commonly known word, one of those that they say "untranslatable game": they are not translated literally, but it means something like "For health, for well-being!" or "For you!". If you learn them in several languages ​​of the world, you can fit into any international company. So let's go.

The host of a holiday in Sweden raises a glass, addressing everyone, traditionally says "Skoal!"(sounds like "How much!"). Hearing this call, try to look into the eyes and nod to each of the guests, and after drinking, exchange glances again.

Among fellow countrymen of the infamous Eyyafialokudl volcano, the most common toast sounds like - "Sleint!"(Slain!). But the Spaniards over a bottle of dry brand Torres, they say Salut!(Pronounced as “Salud!”) For Italians, the toast sounds more familiar - “Salute!”. Although the international and universal "Chin-Chin" is also quite appropriate, and not only among Italians.

Remember: it is customary for Europeans to clink glasses with each separately, in contrast to our practice with a cheerful ringing to connect all the glasses over the table.

In Serbia, the most popular healthy toast sounds soft and beautiful "Live!", it is important to look into the eyes of the person to whom the toast is intended.

Once in the company of Chileans, feel free to try to say: "Salud, amor y dinero, y tiempo para gustarlos!", which in translation means, "Health, love, money, and time to enjoy it!". Even if you fail to say it correctly, your attempt will be appreciated.

Our nearest western neighbors have several variations of Ukrainian and Russian "For your health!". Czechs speak "Na zdrav!"("To health!"), Poles - "Nazdrowie!"("Health!"). The shortened French toast sounds like "Sante!", full version(“A votre sante!” - “A votre sante!”).

The British do without choking at all and limit themselves to short "Cheers!"("Chiez!"). Americans also do not like to clink glasses and say "Chin-Chin!"

In company with the Germans, you should drink when the owner of the house or holiday says "Prosit!"("Prost!"). The same word in Swiss sounds like "Prosht!". The Germans also use "Zum Wohl!"(“Tsumvol!”) - also means something healthy and prosperous. And to repeat in the company of the Germans, say "Noh ain mal!"- that is, "One more time!"

Please note that if you start in an oriental way long and fascinating story about “the deepest gorge and a small, small bird” in the company of Europeans, then you will look ... um ... exotic. Of course, you will be treated politely, listened to as a person of a different culture.

A modern toast in a modern company should be short, like a shot, not too extravagant (so as not to offend anyone by chance), and most importantly, sincere.