Where does the tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow of a ship originate from?

Question

This ceremony is done prior to the commissioning of the ship. Question is what is the meaning / tradition of it.

Answer 1

Where does the tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow come from?

The origins of the tradition go back to the time of the Vikings. When they launched their longboats they used the blood of their prisoners to "oil" the skids.

Then the Greeks also "oiled" the skids with blood when launching their ships.

Later shipbuilders, just became a bit less sanguine, and a little more civil... and began using "wine poured on red ribbons" on the skids as a substitute.

Wine also stood in for blood for many-many years.

Until ships became so big, and launching a ship became "a big deal"... Then champagne became the more festive and prestigious substitute for pouring wine on the skids.