Introduction<br > ~ he custom of drinking a "toast" to the<br > prosperity， happiness， luck， or good health<br > of another dates back to antiquity.<br > It is impossible to point to the moment<br > when the first crude vessel was raised in<br > honor of an ancient god， but what we do<br > know is that the custom of drinking to<br > health permeated the ancient world and<br >that over time the simple act of toasting another<br >became embellished and intertwined with other<br > customs. At some point along the way， toasts<br > were created to celebrate success， happiness，<br > and all other emotions or events worth<br > honoring. Some time after the seventeenth<br >century， the gesture of clinking glasses became<br > popular. One legendary explanation for such<br >glass clinking is that all five senses should come<br > into play to get the greatest pleasure from a<br > drink. It is tasted， touched， seen， smelled，<br > and-with the clink-heard.<br >