On Thursday night I went out with one of my American friends, a couple of her Latvian relatives and a new Canadian friend. We went to this bar and the Latvians started pounding down drinks.....After about five (on their end not mine) they started proposing toasts and cheersing. The word for cheers in Latvian is prieka just in case you wanted to know. So we did the first toast and one of the Latvians was like no no we have to do it again and the native English speakers were like why....he said because you didn't look into my eyes. We were like OK. So we tried it again and he was like no no you did it wrong again.
I guess in Latvia when you cheers with someone you must look deep into their eyes and only break the uncomfortable stare when you have finished your drink. When I asked why they said that is just the way it is done....Its just very weird because on the streets and trams no one looks each other in the eye. So I guess the only place in Latvian culture where it is acceptable to look into someone's eyes is when you are drinking....
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2 comments:
Hi there,
Actually, the custom is slightly different and arguably a bit less awkward than you were told. Eye contact (and preferrably, a genuine smile, but that goes without saying) is customary only during the brief moment when your glass touches the person's you toast with, not until the drink is finished.
Then again, messing it up the first time makes for a nice reason to toast again.
Also, a nice blog, by the way.
Hey Laura,
Just learned about your blog and ended up reading all of your posts. It's terrific! Thanks so much for teaching us about Latvia and keeping us informed. Looking forward to reading more. Take care!
Hi from Uncle Bob too!
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