Origins of 4 Wine Ceremonies

The best origins of 4 wine ceremonies

1. Clinking origins
2. Toasting origins
3. Origins of the wedding champagne
4. Origins of wine parties
5. The moment of truth

Let’s start from top.

The killer wine

The camp had been set up in the middle of the battlefield between the two armies’ camps. The scorching September sun had made standing unbearable and the soldiers on both camps were tired of a whole week’s battle; now, the eyes of thousands of soldiers were fixed on the tent which was set up so that the two kings would reach a truce. Each king entered the tent from the two separate entries designated on either side of the tent, each with two guardsmen. King William entered his glamorous ring mail and his sword hanging on his side; he took off his helmet and sat down at one end of the short table, with his two guards standing at the entrance inside the tent. King Taraglis also entered through the other entrance with his high unusual horned helmet and seated himself on the other side; he, too, took off his helmet and put it down on the floor beside him. Both swords were also given to the two maids who would attend to the kings’ demands. Next, two other old men entered the tent too and stood beside the kings. They were the kings’ councilors, who stood present during peace talk and offered advice where necessary. Both councilors were old men with long beards and they looked mysterious. Once the ceremonies were conducted, the peace talks began.

The sun was setting down when the kings finally reached some uneasy truce. The news was sent to the two camps and loud cheering was heard in the long-held-quiet plain. According to an old custom, the two kings were now to drink wine and make a toast to their truce. Two elaborately decorated metal cups were brought to the kings by a beautiful half naked maid. She was also carrying a wineskin and filled both glasses to the rim with red wine. The two kings looked into each other’s eyes and lifted the glasses to clink; clinking was an old custom too and the kings usually did that and spilled wine into each other’s glasses to make sure neither side had poisoned the wine. The kings never stole their eyes away from each other when they were clinking, but no one noticed the quick glances that were exchanged by the two old councilors.

“May the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds!” said King Taraglis and they both grinned ear to ear. They clinked and some red wine was spilled into each glass and they drank the whole contents of the two glasses. Putting the glasses down, the two kings stood up and stared into each other’s eyes. Everyone was waiting for them to give each other the ceremonial hug but there was something different about the kings’ appearance and posture. They both leaned over the table and put a hand on it not to fall; then William made a deep choked cough and brought up on the table while Taraglis fell on the floor and threw up like all the contents of his bowels were coming out of his mouth. The guards drew their swords and went to help their kings, but a loud yell stopped everyone in the room. The old councilors raised their hands and kept everyone from moving to the center of the tent.

“Both kings are poisoned and the war is over. Councils will choose a new king for each country. Now send message to your camps to go back to their families”

The kings were dead by now and their corpses were taken back to their camps. The two councilors were alone in the tent now.

“A new era has begun” one of them said and the other nodded. They made a quick bow to each other and left the tent from the two entrances.

 

1. Clinking origins

As you saw in the story, the two kings clinked glasses and drank to their truce. Even today, clinking glasses is a ceremonial activity; wine-drinkers clink their glasses together after making a toast. But where does this custom come from?

There are some historical accounts that in ancient times when there were concerns about poisoning, touching glasses was the custom because it caused some of the drink to spill into the other person’s glass and therefore, in this way, they made sure their drink was not poisoned.

There are also some other alternative explanations recorded for this ceremony as well, though not really well-documented. Some say the sound of clinking glasses can please the senses. Besides, it is said that through this kind of physical touch, drinkers feel part of the group and the activity becomes a communal celebration.

Another origin cited for clinking is that by loudly touching glasses in medieval times, people tried to ward off evil and demons. Accounts belonging to medieval times mention that people clinked glasses and spilled some on the floor too and they believed they could ward off bad spirits and demons this way.

Maybe that’s why in Russia there is a tradition where they throw a glass of champagne on the floor!

 

2. Toasting origins

It is hard to imagine a wine-drinking ceremony without making a toast these days. Before starting to drink, one of the members usually says something of goodwill and offers his or her toast and then the drinking begins. Historical accounts suggest that this custom originates in the literal dropping of a toast in the wine glass, which was practiced in the 17^th century. A person, usually the host of the gathering, offered to put a toast in the wine, and then everybody drank it. It is said that the toast, usually a scorched one, helped enhance the flavor of the wine as it absorbed the acidity of the drink. This custom later came to be practiced in the honor of someone present, such that the person who offered the toast called someone’s name and dropped the toast into the drink or demanded such dropping to be done. In this way, toasting evolved to represent the person in whose honor the ceremony was conducted.

Besides, similar to many other ceremonies today, toasting also could have its origins in some religious rituals in the past. Some have suggested that this custom might be a vestige of ancient sacrificial libations; that is, the old custom of pouring some grains or liquid on a deceased relative’s tomb or such an activity as an offering to gods. It appears that blood or diamond was once poured as an offering to gods in return for a wish or a prayer to be fulfilled. People made sacrifices to gods in return for material gain, good health, or long life.

Put these two origins together and you might realize why people make a toast and usually make a wish on the group’s health or the long life of someone.

 

3. Origins of the wedding champagne

The drink that immediately comes to mind for a wedding is definitely champagne. It is true that wine has always been a sign of vitality and love and it has always signified sharing. Both the wine toast and the wedding cake ceremonies are derived from the Christian wedding ceremony. The custom of the bride and the groom drinking from the same cup also comes from such ceremonies.

Drinking champagne in celebrations specifically dates back to the royal courts in Europe in the 18^th century. The expensive drink was a sign of social status at the time. Champagne was the sign of pleasure and joy; also, the sparkles and the overflows of the drink marked abundance.

 

4. Origins of wine parties

It goes without saying that almost every custom you see in the western society right now has something to do with ancient Greece; almost everything has some root in the Greek civilization; you name a custom and it goes all the way back to Greece, talk about the way people walk today and they will tell you it was the way someone walked in Athens some 3000 years ago during that golden period when great philosophers lived; say why people laugh today and you will be told that a God once laughed that way and the feat evolved to be what is called the modern laughter today! Greece can be called the spiritual father of the modern western civilization; or better to say, it is believed so!

Well, we all know that people drank wine or some kind of fermented drink in many ancient civilizations- the Chinese, Egyptians, Persians, Mayans, etc. However, as many schools of thought and their related establishments that laid the foundations of western civilization especially in the last two centuries happened to originate in ancient Greece, more-than-great importance has been placed on this civilization.

Now with this introduction, you will have realized that even wine-drinking has its roots in ancient Greece as well. Well, have you ever heard of Dionysus? It was the god of the grape harvest in the Greek and Roman civilization. Of course, it was not only the god of the grape harvest, but the god of wine-making, fertility, orchards, fruits, vegetation, madness, religious ecstasy and festivity. In case you are wondering how these relate to each other, you should probably get familiar with how the ancient beliefs worked. For instance, this deity was originally the god of fruits, vegetation, wine-making, and grapes; but this was all for a reason;

As the associations of these natural phenomena may imply, this god happened to have a cult as well! His cult symbolized ecstasy, fun, freedom, and a sort of freedom from self-conscious fear and care. He was a libertine of his period in his own right. In fact, his successor (although being the god of fertility, he was still a man!) was called Bacchus in the Roman times. Bacchus was also called ‘liber’ or ‘liberator’ as well, and you can see how this relates to being the god of wine and grapes too. This deity also had a wand that he used when he was angry! And he got angry if there was someone who opposed his cult of freedom, ecstasy and joy.

Anyways, it is hard to call yourself a God and have no festivals or festivities where people can gather to worship you, huh? Well, he did too. Greek and Roman people threw wild festivals in honor of this god. Historical accounts say that as far back as 1000 B.C., there were spring festivals in his honor in ancient Greece, and in these parties, people drank wine and offered gifts to this god. People dressed up in different costumes and visited other relatives and friends during these festivities. The parties were a time for joy and fun. There was music as well; pretty much like today’s wild parties, only with the exception that you don’t offer gifts to gods, but is that so?

If nothing, evolution is the constant rule of life on this planet. As an instance, the festivals mentioned here is not just some historical account of something that happened in ancient times. It is said that one of the origins of theater lies here, in these festivities. These festivals were the time of dressing up, performances and drinking, and it is here that theater comes into existence and evolves.

 

5. The moment of truth

Now in order to find out the connections, bear with the moment of truth;

• Today, you might not offer blood to the gods, but you drink red wine, a color very close to blood.
• You might not gather in a ceremony to worship gods, but you get together with friends and drink with pretty much similar ceremonies.
• You may not try to be joyful because you belong to some god’s cult, but you throw a party and believe there must be times to be happy just for the sake of happiness.
• You don’t sacrifice a life in order to make a wish or prayer to a god, but you sit together with friends and you make a toast and make a wish of goodwill.

You do all these things and you don’t know they were part of some religious ceremony in the past.

So the next time you drink a Nik Pegasus red wine, remember all the sacrifices made in history for you to be here having fun; just please don’t imagine you have sacrificed someone for the love of god!

And finally; whatever the origin, get up and order a Nik Pegasus bottle, invite friends, and have fun!