For a few years now, there have been claims floating around the internet that Americans clap after every meal. So deep is their passion for food that they feel obliged to applaud after they eat. A satisfying dinner can expect anything from a polite round of golf claps, to an uproarious standing ovation, while something that fails to impress may find itself on the receiving end of the slow clap of derision. As compelling as this is, it may surprise you to learn that it is in fact not true. No, Americans do not clap at the end of a meal. However, did you know that the Romans did?While the Empire spread throughout Europe and North Africa, projecting its influence far and wide, one serious challenge facing its people was flies gathering around at meal time. This was especially prevalent in the city of Rome, which, in ancient times, was surrounded by marshlands, an environment particularly prone to breeding all manner of pests. At first there would only be a few of these nuisances buzzing around, but by the end of a meal, when various meats' juices and vegetable scraps littered everyone's plates, there would be swarms of bugs in the room. Families would begin to clap furiously in order to kill or otherwise shoo away these insects, and it became quite the point of consternation in the capital.
Fortunately, as more trade routes opened with the East, exotic incense slowly found their way to Rome. Not only did these give off a pleasant aroma, but the light smoke that they produced staved off bugs. Noticing this, people began to light them during their meals as a means of keeping insects away while they ate. So happy was the populace that they would often continue to clap their hands together after dinner with jubilant expressions on their faces, exclaiming to one another, "Look! I clap and there are no flies!"
It was at this time that clapping became a means of showing approval for something. At first it was a nod to the success of the incense in keeping the bugs away, but over time it was carried over to other aspects of daily life. If an orator made an interesting speech in a gathering place, those listening would clap as a way of showing their appreciation. In the various amphitheaters, at the end of a play the audience began to slap their hands together to show how much they enjoyed the performance.
In only a short number of years, the practice became widespread. There was actually a groundswell of support for it as well, because up to this point the Romans didn't have a universally accepted non-verbal way of showing approval for something. The closest that they had up to this point was a thumbs up and thumbs down, popularized at many of the regional gladiatorial competitions throughout the realms. However, this was woefully inconsistent from one province to the next, with some places using the thumbs up to reflect a positive meaning, and a thumbs down for the negative, while neighboring cities did the opposite. It was all very confusing, and the public thirsted for a more uniform method of showing that they enjoyed something.
There were, of course, pockets of resistance. The occasional anti-clapping cult would establish itself, with regular, clandestine meetings in the night to discuss ways to thwart the tidal wave of support that the clap was enjoying. In rare cases, and usually toward the hinterlands of the Empire, small uprisings would erupt that required contingents of legionnaires to address. It took the better part of a decade before this sort of thing was totally quelled, after which time even the detractors begrudgingly accepted clapping as the only logical way forward.
So, there you have it. The true story of clapping and its Roman origins. Next time you wonder, "Why do Americans clap after they eat?" think not of that nation, but of one long faded into the annuls of history. If it wasn't for them, we might not have clapping in the first place.
