Learn the superstitions about clinking glasses and bread and salt when moving in
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: German Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 2 - Clinking Glasses and Bread and Salt When Moving In. I'm Eric, and I'm joined by Jennifer. |
| Jennifer: Hallo! I'm Jennifer. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS |
| Eric: In this lesson we’ll talk about two common superstitions in Germany. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s it called in German? |
| Jennifer: Verhalten beim anstoßen |
| Eric: Which literally means "behavior when clinking glasses." Jennifer, can you repeat the German phrase again? |
| Jennifer: [slow] Verhalten beim anstoßen [normal] Verhalten beim anstoßen |
| Eric: One of the reasons I want to go to Germany is the beer! |
| Jennifer: Yeah German beer is very famous. And it’s important to know how to behave while drinking. |
| Eric: Right. One of the most important things to do is to maintain eye contact while clinking glasses. |
| Jennifer: If you don’t, it's believed that you‘ll have seven years of unsatisfactory love-making. |
| Eric: Where does this superstition come from Jennifer? |
| Jennifer: Eye-contact is very important for Germans. |
| Eric: If you can’t keep eye-contact during business conversations or in private situations, it will be seen as quite disrespectful. |
| Jennifer: And that applies to drinking with friends too. |
| Eric: So look your friends in the eye while saying cheers... |
| Jennifer: ...or you might regret it. |
| Eric: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s it called in German? |
| Jennifer: Brot und Salz beim Einzug |
| Eric: Which literally means "Bread and salt when moving in." Let’s hear it in German again. |
| Jennifer: [slow] Brot und Salz beim Einzug [normal] Brot und Salz beim Einzug |
| Eric: In Germany, it's believed that you should give a bride and groom bread and salt when they first move into their own home after getting married. |
| Jennifer: This way, they’ll never go hungry. |
| Eric: Bread has been an important staple food throughout German history. |
| Jennifer: And salt used to be a very precious commodity. |
| Eric: So giving a new couple bread and salt is seen as a blessing and greeting. |
| Jennifer: And it’s a housewarming gift that’s not too expensive. |
Outro |
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| Eric: There you have it - two German superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
| Jennifer: Auf Wiedersehen! |
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