Why sailors don't clink glasses - A Navy superstition.

Most people clink glasses when they meet over a drink and make a toast for good luck and health. However, Naval officers never clink glasses when they make a toast. They just hold up their glasses and say, "Cheers" and voice the toast.

The reason for this is as follows.

In the early days of the past, when a sailor died at sea, his body was buried at sea, committed to the deep waters, to the Davy Jones' Locker at the bottom of the ocean. The ship's bells would be sounded 8 times as a mark of respect to the departed soul of the deceased mariner during the funeral service for burial at sea.

In a ship, at sea, 8 bells are sounded at the end of a watch. The 8 bells sounded at the funeral of the sailor signified "End of the watch" for the sailor. Thus the striking of ''Eight bells"(A nautical euphemism for "Finished watch") during burial at sea symbolised the obituary of the dead seaman and was a way of pronouncing that the dead sailor's duty watch was finished forever.

The sound of clinking glasses is similar to the solemn toll of the ship's bell as the body of a dead sailor was committed to the deep. Thus it was assumed that the clinking sound will herald the death of a sailor. Hence, clinking of glasses on board ships was considered a bad omen.

There was another superstition to lessen the gravity of the evil portent in case a sailor inadvertently clinked his glass. The sailor quickly silenced a clink that has mistakenly occurred with his hands or he quickly clinked a second time. It was thought that this would confuse the devil enough so that he might take a soldier instead.

Of course, this is all a myth, a superstition.

But the next time you see someone reluctant to clink his glass, do ask him if he is a sailor. 

Tailpiece.

Suresh Laxman-Sindhu and Vijayakumar-Anitha had arrived by a half past 2 as Preetha was winding up her cleanship of the house. They'd a short rest, wash and went to the temple and returned by 8. It was a pleasant evening with a lot of singing during the post dinner session. An evening well spent. 

Lekha's cellphone has gone into a blink and a new one has become mandatory.