For as long as humans have consumed alcohol, we have done so with various customs attached. From pouring one out in remembrance of loved ones to tapping the table before downing shots, ritualistic drinking practices persist all over the globe. One particular tradition, however, has begun to catch on with the American drinking public in recent years, and it can be a little unnerving if you aren’t expecting it.
Imagine this: You’re out at a bar after a long day and your server has just dropped off your first round of drinks. Shoulders already unwinding, you go to clink your glass against your friend’s only to find them Miley Cyrus Blue Eyes-staring at you from across the table awaiting your cheers. Perhaps they’re even chanting “Eyes! Eyes! Eyes!” as they raise their glass to yours, insisting on maintaining eye contact until your drinks have touched and you’ve both enjoyed a sip. And just like that, the moment is over and things are back to normal.
While still fairly uncommon in the United States, making eye contact while toasting is a long-standing tradition in many European countries — and the consequences of not doing so can be dire. As the superstition goes, if one fails to make eye contact over drinks during a toast they’re in for seven years of bad luck, or worse, bad sex. But where does this superstition even come from and why are Americans suddenly so afraid of falling victim to the curse?
Like most traditions, the history of this alleged omen is murky at best, but it appears to trace all the way back to medieval Europe. At the time, it was fairly commonplace for people to attempt to assassinate political rivals — or any enemy, frankly — via poisoning at banquet dinners. As such, people adopted the practice of clinking glasses before drinking as a test of sorts.
Typically, the motion would cause a few drops of each person’s drink to spill into their companion’s cup, and intense observation was needed to see what happened next. If someone refused to take a sip of their own drink, poison was likely present. If they drank freely, one could likely feel free to do the same. As the years progressed, eye contact while tapping glasses evolved to serve as a means of demonstrating full trust between drinking companions rather than observational poison control.
It’s unclear exactly when the bad luck superstition started taking root, though we suppose it’s a pretty natural progression from medieval-era trust exercises. After all, if someone broke eye contact with us because they had poisoned our drink, we’d sure consider ourselves pretty unlucky. The explicit origin of the “seven years of bad sex” superstition is similarly difficult to pin down, but to this day, it remains especially strong in Germany, Austria, France, and Spain. Given the tradition’s popularity in the Western world, it was likely only a matter of time before the habit trickled over into American drinking culture.
So don’t be alarmed the next time your friend gives you a wide-eyed stare from behind the rim of their glass — they could just be trying to ward off bad luck, bedroom or otherwise.
*Image retrieved from Fxquadro via stock.adobe.com
The article Why Is Everyone Trying to Make Eye Contact During Toasts? appeared first on VinePair.
