When you clink glasses with someone, it’s always great if you can look relaxed and calm
and like you’re enjoying yourself. You know, “Cheers!” Well here in Germany, this is
what I look like when I try to do it.
Prost!
Hey everyone! I’m Dana and you’re watching Wanted Adventure Living Abroad.
So why do I look so awkward and uncomfortable toasting in Germany? Because here one superstition
is that you have to make direct eye contact while clinking glasses with someone.
The superstition says that if you don’t make eye contact while doing it, you will
have seven years of bad sex. Seven years of bad sex. Nowadays it’s also become kind
of impolite not to make eye contact while clinking glasses with someone.
So, it’s odd if you don’t do it.
And I struggle with this because I’m a pretty clumsy person, so I actually have to look
at my glass and the other person's glass while I’m clinking glasses with them to make sure
that my glass connects with their glass and not just goes right passed it.
And also here in Bavaria it’s often the case that I have a wine and other people have
this huge, heavy Mass beer, so I’m just trying to make sure I don’t smash my little
wine glass into their beer stein and make a mess.
As I already mentioned in the video on birthday celebrations in Germany, here it’s considered
bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday. So, for example,
if one of your co-workers is having a birthday on Saturday and you’re not gonna see them,
well, you still shouldn’t wish them a happy early birthday on Friday.
That would be considered bad luck.
Also, Germans often celebrate in the birthday. So if your birthday is on the eleventh, you’ll
invite everyone out on the evening of the tenth and then celebrate into your birthday.
But the first time that I went to one of these parties, I made the mistake of showing up
and wishing the person happy birthday right away because it was their birthday celebration,
and they said, "No, you can’t wish me a happy birthday yet; it’s not my birthday."
And really, everyone waits and then right at midnight, everyone is ready for it, right
at midnight, everyone wishes that person a happy birthday because it is finally,
officially their birthday.
Another superstition I’ve noticed is that in Germany if you give someone a wallet, so
if you give someone a wallet as a gift, you need to put a one cent coin in the wallet
first before you give it to them, and that will then safeguard against them ever being poor.
And speaking of gifts, a wallet with a coin inside is a fine gift. As long as you put
that coin inside, you’re not wishing any harm on the person with such a gift. Knives,
however, are not okay under any circumstance. Because if you give someone a knife you are
obviously wishing death and injury upon them and everyone in their home.
And lastly, if you have friends that move into a new home, a traditional gift for them
is bread and salt, which ensures that they’ll never go hungry.
So if your friend has a birthday, you can get them a wallet with a coin in it and then
they’ll be prosperous. Great gift! But don’t give them this gift before their actual birthday
because that would bring bad luck. And when you toast to them on their birthday, make
sure to look them right in the eyes, or else, more bad luck.
And if your friend moves into a new apartment, you can give them bread and salt as a housewarming
gift and they’ll never be hungry, and they can use all that money they got from the wallet
gift to buy a knife to cut the bread so that you don’t have to gift them the knife and
wish death upon them and their family. Perfect.
So my question for you is: superstitions! What other superstitions have you come across
around the world, and do they practice any of the superstitions that I mentioned today
in any other countries. Please let me know in the comments below.
Thanks so much for watching. Please don’t forget to subscribe and hit that like button,
and also I would love to connect with you, so please check me out over here on my Twitter
and my Facebook page for more photos, and updates of what’s going on in Germany, and
even sometimes other short video clips. Until next time, auf Wiedersehen!
Zum Geburtstag viel Glück. Zum Geburtstag viel Glück.
Zum Geburtstag alles Gute. Zum Geburtstag viel Glück.
Happy birthday!