The ritual of toasting dates back at least as far as Ancient Greece.
A toast is a short speech, usually made with raised glass in hand, that offers wishes for the good luck, health or happiness of fellow imbibers. It can be a quick personalized tribute such as "here's to your new job" or for the more oratorically ambitious, a short poem appropriate to the occasion. If called upon to lead this particular drinking ritual, it shows savoir faire to have a few all-occasion and special occasion toasts at the ready.
History of the Toast
The ritual of toasting dates at least as far back as ancient Greece; in The Odyssey, Ulysses drank to the health of Homer. Shakespeare's plays incorporate the practice, as well. In Hamlet, the protagonist's mother drinks a toast to her son (with deadly consequences). Speaking of toasts with fatal consequences, one theory has it that toasting developed as a defense against the possibility of poisoning -- people clinked glasses so that the liquid would splash into the glass of the companion, warding against foul play.
Irish Toasts
May your pockets be heavy,
Your heart be light,
And may good luck pursue you
Each morning and night.
Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you.
May your luck be like the capital of Ireland. Always Dublin.
May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you're dead.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind always be on your back
May the sun shine warmly upon your face
And may rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again,
May the Lord hold you in the hollow of his hand.
New Year's Toasts for Luck
Here's to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;
Here's to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold.
May all your troubles during the coming year be as short as your New Year's resolutions.
The New Year is ringing in,
May he be bringing in
The Good Times we've waited for so long in vain!
Without the demanding
All rise and drink standing,
And so say we all of us again and again.
Wedding Toasts for Luck
Here's to the Bride and the Groom!
May you have a happy honeymoon,
May you lead a happy life,
May you have a bunch of money soon,
And live without all strife.
Here's to the bride that is to be,
Here's to the groom she'll wed,
May all their troubles be light as bubbles
Or the feathers that make up their bed!
To the newlyweds: May "for better or worse" be far better than worse.
All-Occasion Lucky Toasts
May the saints protect you, and sorrow neglect you, and bad luck to the one that doesn't respect you.
May your luck ever spread, Like jelly on bread.
May your pockets be heavy---
Your heart be light,
And may good luck pursue you
Each morning and night.
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