Cheers in Russian

Toasting is participatory: someone proposes the за-phrase, everyone repeats it, then drinks. At a real Russian table toasts get longer and more elaborate as the evening goes on; the two-word за-formula is only the opening move.

The за + accusative pattern is productive: за дружбу (to friendship), за родителей (to the parents). It is also a tidy live demonstration of the accusative case doing real work.