How Did the Custom of Clinking Glasses When Drinking Originate?
In the days of the Roman gladiators, before a duel with swords, it became the custom of each of the participants to drink a glass of wine before fighting. Just before the fighting commenced two glasses of wine were brought and the gladiators drank. These two glasses of wine were provided by the friends of either one or the other of the gladiators. To guard against treachery, through some over zealous friend of the fighters furnishing poisoned wine was necessary. So before drinking and to show there was no treachery, the gladiators came close together and poured wine from one glass into the other back and forth until the wine in the glasses was thoroughly mixed. If the wine in one glass then had been poisoned, the poisoned wine would thus be in both glasses, and if there had been any treachery, both gladiators would be poisoned if they drank. The wine was poured from one glass to the other to show that there was no treachery.
This custom continued in use for a long time until the idea of drinking before a fight was abandoned. The custom, however, of showing friendliness in this way while drinking continued for a long time. Later it became a mere custom, however, to show a friendly spirit toward the one who was drinking with you, and when the danger of poisoned wine was past, the actual act of pouring the wine from one glass to another was changed to merely touching the glasses together. Thus today we have the friendly custom of touching glasses together long after the necessity of guarding against treachery while drinking has passed.