During the feast, close people offer each other a drink for brotherhood. This ritual symbolizes trust and strong friendships. I propose to consider the features of drinking on brotherhood. There are two ways: friendly and wedding, they are slightly different.
Brotherhood (translated from the German Brüderschaft “brotherhood”) – a table tradition, during which two people simultaneously empty their glasses of alcohol by crossing their arms in a special way. After that, they become close friends and must address each other as “you”.
In turn, the expression: “we didn’t drink brotherhood” means that a person does not like a too open form of address, he wants to communicate with his interlocutor in a more official tone. Typically, this situation occurs with a clear insult or violation of subordination.
The tradition of drinking on brotherhood appeared during the Middle Ages, this ritual testified to peaceful relations between the participants in the feast. In some countries, for example in Italy, lovers also drank brotherhood, and then kissed. If the drink of at least one of the newlyweds was poisoned, the kiss would transfer the poison to the other. It is interesting that although the word “brotherhood” itself is German, in Germany this tradition is called differently – “Dutz trinken”, literally translated “drinking on you”.
Friendly brotherhood is performed as follows: drinkers fill their glasses, cross their arms at the elbows and drink the contents of their glasses, looking into each other’s eyes. This is followed by a friendly kiss.
Wedding brotherhood is the first kiss between the bride and groom during the wedding. The newlyweds drink in the usual way from glasses tied with a ribbon. But the kiss should not be friendly, but passionate. Next, the couple throws the glasses over their left shoulder.
Toast for brotherhood
It will not be superfluous to supplement this tradition with a good toast. In the case of newlyweds, standard wedding wishes are suitable, for a friendly brotherhood, I advise you to remember the following:
Long live all that thanks to which we are, no matter what!
After three glasses of cognac, the Frenchman switches to mineral water, and the Russian – to “you”.
Brudershaft is useful. If they say to me: “You are a fool,” that is not so bad, but if they say to me: “You are a fool,” one cannot do without a duel.
If you drink hemlock on brotherhood, it is, perhaps, for life.