Yefim Smolin (russian: Ефим Смолин) was a Russian

glass-maker Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...

and inventor of

granyonyi stakan A faceted glass or granyonyi stakan (russian: гранёный стакан, literally ''faceted glass'') ( uk, granchak гранчак, derived from ''грань'', meaning ''facet'') is a type of drinkware made from especially hard and thick g ...

(faceted glass or table-glass), living in the late 17th century and early 18th century in the area of the modern Vladimir Oblast in Russia. Granyonyi stakan has certain advantages over the other drinkware, since due to its form and hardness it is more difficult to break. A legend says that the first known faceted glass was given as a present to

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

from a glass-maker called Yefim Smolin, living in Vladimir Oblast. He boasted to Tsar that his glass couldn't be broken. Tsar Peter liked the present, however, after drinking some alcoholic beverage from it, he said loudly ''Let the glass be!'' (russian: Стакану быть! - literally ''the glass be''), threw the glass on the ground and managed to break it. But Peter didn't punish the glass-maker, and the production of such glasses continued. According to the legend, people present during this episode misinterpreted the Tsar's words and thought that Peter called to break the glasses (russian: Стаканы бить! - literally ''beat glasses'' or ''break glasses''), that's how a tradition of breaking drinkware on certain occasions appeared in Russia. Glasses were broken after especially important

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

s or just during the especially cheerful parties. Russian restaurants even held a special prices for breaking the glasses. Breaking of drinkware, or, in wider context, any tableware, is believed in Russia to bring luck and happiness.

References

The Day of Granenyi Stakan
at hronograf.narod.ru
Let the stakan be! The history of granyonyi stakan
at barmenu.ru People from Vladimir Oblast Russian inventors Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown {{Russia-bio-stub