When the table toasts, clink glasses individually with each person around you (not just one collective clink) and look them in the eye as you do it, saying “Prost” or “Zum Wohl.”
Take a sip after the toast before setting your glass back down, don’t just clink and set it aside untouched.
- The seven-years-bad-luck version is usually specifically about your love life — friends will tease you if you break eye contact mid-toast, more than they would over any other kind of bad luck.
- It’s not just a German thing — you’ll get the same expectation in Austria and see softer versions of it elsewhere in Central Europe.