Check out what I just read in the July 07 Readers Digest pages 108-109 :
"Why do we say cheers when we clink our glasses? The word cheer comes from the latin word face or countenance and originally referred to any facial expression, cheerful or otherwise. Over time, though, it came to mean gladness and was first recorded as a shout of encouragement or support in 1720. As a toast, "cheers" is an early 20th century newcomer.
As to why we tap glasses together, a few compelling theories have made the rounds. In one, early Europeans believed that the sound of clashing tankards would scare away evil spirits. A more recent notion suggests an appreciation among revelers for all five senses : sight, taste, smell, and, the clinking, sound and touch.
But the most provocative theory of all-and one that's much debated-is attached to an ancient fear that an enemy might try to poison a drink. To prove that a drink was safe, a host would pour some of his guest's wine into his own drinking vessel and drink it first. This evolved into crashing tankards together so that a little of each drink spilled into the other. Eventually, guests and hosts demonstrated their friendship (and their trust) by touching glasses."
So... Interesting how the only theory the WT fixates on, is the one about evil spirits, even though the others are quite "harmless", even from their point of view.. Also, all these are just theories, no one will really know the true origin of this or most other ancient customs( and the average person doesn't care).
Witnesses being forbidden to make a toast or say "cheers" is just one example of how the WT Society tries to suck us dry. How they attempt to villify even the most innocent of customs, even though these customs have as their only objective to make life a little more joyous.
To all of you lovely people: "Cheers!!!"