Why Do You Cheer Before You Drink

Or toast.or ganbei

In medieval times, the situation was ugly.
People kill people for gain. Not that it doesn't happen nowadays but it's far more intense back in those days.
It's more like Lord BlingBling decides that Count TheMoney is richer from him by one gold bar and therefore has to be killed.
There's vomitus poison and there's mango lassi alcohol and there's beautiful court ladies = banquet where Lord BlingBling can easily poison Count TheMoney.
I don't know, maybe those people had too much lard and boozes and messed up their frontal lobe, but after sometime, the poisoned drink idea became too popular.
And we all know over the top is definitely not the place to be.



Someone in the court still got their frontal lobe intact (I highly suspect it's one of the ladies).
Whatever it is, the toasting ritual is invented.
Here is how to do it correctly, feudal way

Raise your cup
Clash it with the other person's cup so that the drink in both cups intermixed. The goal is, you die I die.
Bottom up all the while looking into each other eyes.

Lesson learnt from my side : If I am in sticky situation, the original way to ganbei is handy.
I got to toast a lot in Germany (they do it the modern way so even drinking water is also eligible for toasting) but have always manage to put a blank expression before the glass raised to me. It sure take a lot of time getting used to =)