In Hungarian superstition, what action is traditionally avoided when people toast with beer?

In Hungarian superstition, people traditionally avoided clinking beer glasses when making a toast. The custom is linked to a historical story about Austria’s defeat of Hungary in the 1848–49 revolution.

According to the popular account, Austrian generals celebrated the execution of Hungarian revolutionary leaders by clinking their beer glasses. Hungarians were then said to have vowed not to clink beer for 150 years. The period ended in 1999, but some people continued the custom afterward because traditions can outlast the original time limit.

The practice is specifically associated with beer; it does not mean that every Hungarian avoids clinking all drinking vessels. The story is often presented as a national superstition or etiquette rule rather than a verified record of every Austrian celebration. It remains a memorable example of how political trauma can become attached to an everyday social gesture.