After seeing Mike Dildine use the word skal in a recent post, I looked up on Wikipedia and found:
In many cultures, toasting is common and to not do so may be a breach of etiquette. The general theme of the common brief toast is “good luck” or “good health.” At formal meals in certain countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, the first toast to be proposed is traditionally the Loyal Toast (“The Queen”). This may be adapted in other countries to give a loyal toast to the appropriate Head of State.
Albanian: “Gëzuar” (enjoy)
Amharic language (Ethiopia): “Le’tenachin!” (To our health)
Arabic: “بصحتك” (be ṣaḥtak, for your health)
Australian English: Cheers mate! (to your happiness my friend)
Basque: “Topa!” (toast)
Belarusian: “Будзьма!” (budzma, may we live!)
Bosnian: “Nazdravlje” (for health) or “Živjeli” (live!)
Bulgarian: “Наздраве” (nazdrave, to health)
Catalan: “Xinxin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses)[citation needed] or “Salut” (health)
Chinese, Mandarin: “干杯” (gānbēi, lit. “Empty cup”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
Croatian: “Živjeli” (live!)
Czech: “Na zdraví” (to health)
Danish: “Skål” (lit. bowl - refers to older drinking vessels)
Dutch: “Proost” (from Latin prosit - may it be good (i.e., for you)), or “(op je) gezondheid” ((to your) health); in Belgium: schol (from Scandinavian) or santé (from the French).
English: “Cheers”
Esperanto: “Je via sano!” (to your health)
Estonian: “Terviseks” (for the health)
Filipino: “Mabuhay” (to life)
Finnish: “Kippis”, or “Hölökyn kölökyn” (in Savonian dialects)
French: “Tchin Tchin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses)[citation needed] or “Santé” (health) or “cul sec” (lit. “dry bottom”, to drink the whole glass in one go)
Galician: “Saude” (Good health)
Georgian: “გაუმარჯოს!” (Gaumarjos!) (Victory!)
German: “Prost”, “Prosit” - from Latin prosit (may it be good (i.e., for you)) or “Zum Wohl” (to health)
Greek: “Εις υγείαν” (ees eegiyan), “στην υγειά σου/μας”, “γειά” (for health) or “Εβίβα” (eviva, from Italian evviva, “long life!”)
Hebrew: “לחיים” (“L’Chayyim”) (to life, traditional Jewish toast)
Hungarian: “Egészségünkre” (for our health), more commonly “Egészségedre” (ɛgeːʃːeːgɛdrɛ)(To your health!!) “Fenékig” (lit. “To the bottom”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
Icelandic: “Skál” (lit. bowl - refers to older drinking vessels)
Irish: “Sláinte” (health)
Italian: “Cin Cin” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses)[citation needed] or “Salute” (health)
Japanese: “乾杯” (kanpai, lit. “Dry the glass”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
Korean: “건배” (gunbae, lit. “Empty cup”, similar to “bottoms up” in English)
Latvian: “Priekā” (to joy)
Lithuanian: “Į sveikatą” (to health)
Macedonian: “На здравје” (na zdravje, to health)
Manx Gaelic: “Sláinte” (health)
Maori (NZ): “Mauri ora” (to life)
Marathi: “Chang Bhala” (may it be good)
Mexican Spanish: “Salud” (to health) or “Saludcita” (to health, diminutive)
New Hampshire: “Shläng” (Variant of Gaelic Sláinte)
Norwegian: “Skål” (lit. bowl - refers to older drinking vessels)
Persian: “نوش” (Nūsh, from Middle Persian anosh = “immortality”, or Persian verb nushidæn = “to drink”)
Polish: “Na zdrowie” (to health)
Portuguese: “Tchim-Tchim” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses)[citation needed] or “Saúde” (health)
Romanian: “Noroc” (good luck) or “Sănătate” (health)
Russian: “Ваше здоровье!” (Vashe zdorov’ye, for your health)
Scottish Gaelic: “Slàinte mhath” (good health)
Serbian: “Nazdravlje” (for health) or “Živeli” (live!)
Slovak: “Na zdravie” (to health)
Slovene: “Na zdravje” (to health)
Spanish/Castilian: “¡Chinchín!” (onomatopoeic for clinking of glasses)[33] or “¡Salud!” (health)
Swedish: “Skål” (lit. bowl - refers to older drinking vessels[34]); Gutår (good year) - old fashioned, still used in formal settings
Swiss German: “Proscht” (as in German “Prost”) or as diminutive form “Pröschtli”
Thai: “ชัยโย” (chai-yo!, lit. Hurrah!) or “ชนแก้ว” (chon-kaew, lit. Let us toast) or “หมดแก้ว” (mod-kaew, lit. Bottoms up)
Turkish: “Şerefe” (to honor)
Ukrainian: “На здоров’я” (“Na zdorovya”, to health) or “Будьмо” (“Budmo”, let us be!)
Vietnamese: “Yô” ((take) in)
Welsh: “iechyd Dda” (Good health)
Cheers,
Blake
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}