Or how to correctly say "na zdorovje"
All Czechs know that when Russians drink vodka, they say "na zdorovje".
However, that's not true, so I have to teach you.
Vodka is quite a big part of Russian culture. But I can't say we drink it often. Vodka is drunk more during sad moments (funeral, dismissal from work, etc) or during long gatherings with friends. In that case, vodka serves as a means to loosen moral boundaries or so-called "opening the soul". And this "opening the soul" is probably what Russians can't do when spending time with foreigners. They say nobody can do it very well. And in my opinion, this is the most common complaint of Russian emigrants on the internet.
"Na zdorovje" is not said during drinking. This is a stereotype from American movies. In Russian "na zdorovje" is a response to thanks. A Czech synonym is probably "není zač" (you're welcome).
But before drinking, the bravest of us delivers a so-called "toast", or in Czech a toast. Usually it's such a story that should be short and instructive. And most importantly it should be said at the right time. For example, when someone accidentally started talking about women, so some clever story about women :)
when the flock flew to overwinter, one small but proud bird said: "But I'll fly straight to the sun!". It soared higher and higher, but soon burned its wings and fell to the bottom of a deep valley.
Let's toast so that none of us falls out of the collective, regardless of how high we flew!
Then there are various interesting exceptions, for example the second round is immediately after the first one, but I'll write about that later, if anyone's interested.
I have to say that these toasts are almost an art, so not everyone can do it. There are even books about it. But maybe that's why most Russians can quickly say something funny. They train from childhood :D