Feast, delicious food, a glass of wine. A beautiful toast with wishes of health and happiness sounds. Is there any other meaning in these drinking speeches? Well-known historical and cultural traditions surely have answers to this question.
The word "toast" itself comes from the English language and means a toasted slice of bread. Before drinking wine, the inhabitants of the British Isles soaked toast in it. For those who knew nothing about religious Christian customs, the tradition of moistening bread with wine was forgotten. Instead, they began to make toasts before eating the drink. Meanwhile, among Orthodox and Catholic Christians, bread and red grape wine have long meant the "body" and "blood" of Christ and are used for communion of believers in churches. toast appeared in those dark times when often deadly poison could become their contents. At the same time, anyone from those present could have poured it in, not considering it a special sin. To assure the guests of his peaceful intentions, not only the host drank his glass in public, but all the guests present during the feast repeatedly clinked glasses so that the drink poured from one to another. At the same time, the guests wished each other health and success. At the present time, the threat of poisoning is no less relevant, given the composition of food, the presence of preservatives and dubious substances identical to natural ones, therefore, the revival of the true reasons for making table speeches and the correct intake of alcoholic beverages are of paramount importance. Good alcoholic beverages, be it wine, cognac or vodka, have an extensive list of useful properties, one of which is the strongest bactericidal. Saying a toast, a person attracts the attention of others, concentrates them not only on the meaning of the spoken speech, by the way, often healthy, but also on the process of absorbing alcohol and subsequent food. Maybe, in addition to beautiful toasts, observance of etiquette and spectacular table settings, it is worth thinking about what exactly should be drunk, in what quantities, and what then to eat? It is interesting that the ancient Greeks, masters of the word, and later the Romans, during numerous feasts put a human skull on the table, which was a constant reminder of the harmful effects of alcohol. It should be borne in mind that in an era of change, the pace of life changes, there is a rapid change of events, requiring a person to realize and understand things that are not subject to time. The so-called toast is no exception, without which even a usually dinner person who is completely alone cannot do.
