An Age-Old Custom
The act of toasting was originally adopted by banquet guests in sixth century Greece who were intent on avoiding falling victim to an enemy’s poison slipped into their drinks. A friendly host assured his guests of their safety by sipping from his glass and then raising it to his guests in invitation.

The Romans also embraced the custom and are attributed with coining the phrase “to toast”—they dunked a piece of toasted bread into bitter wine to quell any less-than-appealing flavors. By the 19th century, toasting had become a fashionable act of flattery and great wit in England—to not toast a person was considered a blatant insult. Another custom was to toast a beautiful woman, making her the “toast of the town.”

Today, the toast has evolved into a true art form. And to truly master the art of the toast, remember:

• Stand while making a toast, and raise your glass to the honoree.
• Choose a toast that is appropriate to the gathering and people.
• Use humor, brevity, and clarity.

Christmas Here’s to the holly with its bright red berry. Here’s to Christmas, let’s make it merry. New Year’s Welcome are those that are here, Welcome all, and make good cheer, Welcome all, another year. May all your troubles during the coming year be as short as your New Year’s resolutions. Whatever you resolve to do, on any New Year’s Day, Resolve to yourself to be true and live—the same old way. Gathering of friends May the roof above us never fall in, And may we friends gathered below never fall out.

Marriage A toast to love and laughter and happily ever after. Toasts for two Let’s drink to love – which is nothing until divided by two. I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow. Birthday Happy birthday to you and many to be, With friends that are true as you are to me! Champagne The mouth of a perfectly happy person is filled with Champagne.

Friendship's the wine of life. Let's drink of it and to it. Here's Champagne to our real friends and real pain to our sham friends. May we never want a friend, Or a bottle to give him. Some friends wish you happiness, and others wish you wealth. But I wish you the best of all - contentment blessed with health! May you have warm words on a cold evening, A full moon on a dark night, And the road downhill all the way to your door. There are good ships, And there are wood ships, The ships that sail the sea But the best ships Are friendships And may they always be. May we have those in our arms That we love in our hearts. May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be ever at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rain fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand. And may you be in Heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead.

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through the door. May you live as long as you want to And may you want to as long as you live! May your hearts be as warm as your hearthstone. May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings. Here's to the blessings of the year, Here's to the friends we hold so dear, To peace on earth, both far and near. May we have more and more friends, And need them less and less. To the Land we Love, and the Love we Land! Here's to love, The only fire against which there is no insurance. May the face of every good news And the back of every bad news be toward us. May those who love us, love us And those that don't love us, May God turn their hearts, And if he doesn't turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles So we'll know them by their limping.

“Four be the things I am wiser to know: Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.
Four be the things I’d been better without: Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.”
–Dorothy Parker

“Be at war with your voices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man.”
–Benjamin Franklin

“Here’s to us that are here, to you that are there, and the rest of us everywhere.”
–Rudyard Kipling

“To the men we loved: the stinkers.”
–Eve Arden in “Mildred Pierce”

British - Cheers!	Irish - Slainte!
Chinese - Wen Lie!	Italian - Alla Salute!
French - A votre sante!	Japanese - Kanpai!
German - Prosit!	Polish - Na Zdrowie!
Greek - Yasas!	Russian - Za vashe zdorovye!
Hebrew - L'Chaim!	Spanish - Salud!
Hungarian -Ege'sze'ge're!	Swedish - Skal!

(From About.com)