WE’LL all be raising our glasses today and over the next couple of weeks, offering toasts during Christmas and the new year. Did you ever wonder how the custom came about? The stories are many and fanciful!
In ancient Greece, one way of getting rid of an enemy, political rival or even an inconvenient spouse was to invite the person to share a meal that included a poisoned wine! If the host had no ill intentions, on the other hand, he would take the first drink to demonstrate that the meal was truly a celebration and not some sinister plot. One can see how the notion of “drinking to one’s health” originated here.
