Almost every adult has heard the expression "drinking for brotherhood" more than once in his life. And many drank in a similar way. But not everyone knows the history of this ritual.
From the dictionary
Translated from German, the word "Bruderschaft" means "brotherhood". Thus, drinking for brotherhood means drinking in order to strengthen friendships, to become good friends, comrades, and even "brothers."
The ritual of drinking for a broodershaft itself is a ritual, during which two little-known participants of the feast raise glasses of alcoholic beverages, crossing their hands with glasses, and at the same time empty them in one gulp, and then kiss. From that moment on, they begin to address each other more formally, passing to "you". It is very important to look into the eyes of the person with whom you are drinking on a brotherhood.
History of custom
According to historians, this interesting ritual originated during the dark Middle Ages. The territory where the custom of drinking alcoholic beverages for brotherhood appeared - Europe. Then, the warriors gathered at the table, by their participation in this tradition, showed each other their sincere good intentions, the desire to provide support and assistance in battle and together go to victory. At the same time, the moments of the conduct of the battle were discussed in detail, plans were made for joint participation in further campaigns, and also past feats were recalled. This was followed by a ritual performed by two generals.
Each gesture performed in the ritual has its own hidden, but very important meaning. So, woven hands symbolize support, unity of goals and desires. Drinking wine to the bottom means that the intentions of both are carefully considered and completely resolved. At the same time, the kiss consolidated the oath given to each other. If a drop of blood of each of the interlocutors was added to the wine, then the oath was considered blood oath, and its violation was punishable by cruel revenge.
If you look into psychology, you can see that the ritual takes its roots from there. After intertwining hands, and, even more so, kissing a stranger, the interlocutor lets him into his "intimate" space. And since he is ready to do this, it means that he is already subconsciously tuned in to closer communication.
Legend
There is also a more romantic version of the origin of the tradition in question. According to her, lovers drank at brotherhood. Moreover, if the wine of one of them was poisoned, then during the kiss, the poison was transferred to the other. And, therefore, the offer to drink at brotherhood is real proof that the drink does not contain poison, and the intentions of the interlocutor are pure and sincere.
