We consulted specialized websites and manuals of etiquette and we found the answers we were looking for.

The explanation is so interesting that we thought of writing an article about it! In this way, the next time a diner would like to toast with water you can stop him and explain to everyone the reasons that led to think that toasting with water means bad luck.

Toasting with water: why don’t you do it? Why is it bad luck?

The answers to our questions can be found on a specialized site called vinepair.com and on the manual of the American Navy, dating back to 1986.

The Mess Night Manual, available online on the website "Naval History and Heritage Command", is a kind of vademecum of good practices and good manners to be respected during official dinners.

The manual is quite articulate and detailed. One of its sections, the third, is dedicated to the toast to be made during a dinner. The paragraph is full of very interesting indications and very strict rules governing every aspect of this practice. We promise that in a future article we will talk about all these aspects because you can discover truly unique stories and curiosities. You’ll be happy to know, for example, that every dinner of every day of the week has a toast. Basically, every day you would drink wine!

"It is customary for a special toast to be given for each evening of the week"

To underline how the toast is considered a serious and important moment and to return to the specific topic of our article, you should read the following lines directly from the manual:

"The proper procedure for those averse to drinking is to participate in the toasting ritual by raising the glass of Port (Porto wine)* to their lips (without actually drinking it). It is considered an insult not to participate in the toast at all, and in military messes, it is highly improper to drink a toast with water. For this reason, all water glasses are removed from the table before the toasting begins".
*Port or Porto wine and sparkling wines are the wines suggested for the toast!

We understand that everyone must participate in a toast, that even those who do not drink wine must participate, without drinking but bringing the glass to the lips. Finally, it is emphasized that the toast does not want water!

Why? Obviously, the manual also reveals the answer to this question.

There are three possible explanations, all reported by vinepair.com.

Let’s analyze them one by one.

EXPLANATION 1

"Tradition is that the object of a toast with water will die by drowning"

It seems that this belief is linked to some episodes happened to sailors, who died by drowning, and who, as it is said, a few hours before had made the toast with water!

EXPLANATION 2

According to the manual, the fact that water is not used during toasts is also linked to an episode in the history of England.

In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell led the forces that temporarily defeated the English monarchy and played a decisive role in the death sentence on King Charles I. His son and successor, Charles II, was forced to go to Continental Europe.

The representatives of the navy, very close to the king, began to toast in a different way. They carried the glass of wine over the glass of water, simulating the crossing of a metaphorical sea, the "English Channel", which separates the United Kingdom from continental Europe. This ritual was a sign of closeness to the King in exile!

After discovering the meaning, the antimonarchiche government forces ordered the sailors not to toast before the water glasses were collected. From that moment on water was banned from toasts!

This tradition is still alive today and seems to have been transmitted, without its original meaning, to civil society!

EXPLANATION 3

Finally, the third possible explanation. In Greek mythology, the "Lethe" is the river in which the souls of the dead were immersed to reincarnate or, as in Dante’s version, to purify themselves from sins before reaching Paradise.

In any case, it seems that in ancient Greece they toasted with water just to remember this belief and to accompany the souls of the dead. The ritual, brought back to the present day, is interpreted as a sign of death! Certainly, not a good wish ...

For this, the toast does not want water!

In short, when you stop your guests from toasting with water, you can surprise them by telling these stories!