“A successful tamada must possess great rhetorical skill and be able to consume a large amount of alcohol without showing signs of drunkenness.”
A tamada giving the opening toast at a supra. Dishes begin to stack as guests arrive. Every supra follows the same set of rules, but the level of formality depends on the occasion. Supras can be held almost anywhere, including restaurants, gardens, schools, graveyards and, perhaps most commonly, at homes. Most often, guests sit at a table, which is covered with small plates of food that continue to be brought out and refreshed throughout the course of the supra. There are two types of supra: a festive supra (ლხინის სუფრა), called a keipi, and a sombre supra (ჭირის სუფრა), called a kelekhi, that is always held after burials. In Georgian, “supra” means “tablecloth”. It’s likely related to the Arabic sofra (ةرفس) and Turkish sofra, which are both words for traditional eating surfaces. Large public meals are never held in Georgia without a supra; when there are no tables, the supra is laid on the ground, typically seen during excursions to churches. At a supra, toasting is a high art and Georgians have elevated it to a degree not seen many other places in the world. What follows is how that toasting process, contest and history are all showcased during a supra. Regardless of size and type, a supra is always led by a tamada, or toastmaster, who introduces each toast during the feast. The tamada is elected by the banqueting guests or chosen by the host. A successful tamada must possess great rhetorical skill and be able to consume a large amount of alcohol without showing signs of drunkenness. During the meal, the tamada will propose a toast, and then speak at some length about the topic. The guests raise their glasses, but do not drink. After the tamada has spoken, the toast continues, usually in a counter-clockwise direction (to the right). The next guest who wishes to speak raises their glass, holds forth, and then drains their glass. If a guest does not wish to speak, they may drink from their glass after some words that particularly resonate for him or her. Eating is entirely appropriate during toasts, but talking is frowned upon. Once everyone who wishes to speak on the theme has done so, the tamada proposes a new toast, and the cycle begins again. While some of the more important toasts require drinking your glass to the bottom as a sign of respect (bolomde in Georgian), the traditions of the Georgian table space the drinking out over the course of the meal. Here are the rules. You cannot drink until the tamada (toastmaster) has made his toast and drinks. Only then, and usually in order around the table, can other revelers repeat the toast and drink. Never propose a different toast unless you are given permission: that is an offense to the tamada. If the toast is made to you as a visitor, to America or England, to the President or the Queen, or in any way bears directly upon your presence, you must wait to drink until everyone else has gone before you. Your toast in response should be one of thanks. Occasionally you will hear the tamada say “Alaverdi” to someone. This means that one guest has been chosen to elaborate the tamada’s toast. All other present their drink to this same theme. Georgians take traditional toasting very seriously. There is a structure and balance to a Georgian toast. Toasts are made with either wine (usually) or brandy (occasionally, either local or imported), and nothing else — toasting with beer can be considered an insult, though the patriarch recently deemed it to be ok. If you are being toasted, you are supposed to wait until the tamada has finished, then stand up and thank the toaster. Then, you should wait until everyone else is done before drinking your wine in one go. If the tamada says Alaverdi to you, you should elaborate on his toast. If a large ram or goat’s horn (called the khantsi) is brought out during the meal and filled with wine, then an honored guest — perhaps you — is supposed to drink it to the bottom. If someone else is being toasted, the easiest advice is to wait until everyone else is drinking to drink your wine. Other than that, it’s good advice to be quiet while the tamada is talking, and remember the various other rules of etiquette in Georgia, some of which are not putting feet on the furniture and not chewing gum in public. The proper response to Georgian toasts is “gaumarzos”, meaning literally ‘to your victory’; pragmatically it is equivalent to ‘cheers.’ Immediately after the toast, people clink glasses with the tamada. Normally, when a foreigner is present, the tamada starts with a toast to long-lasting friendship with him or her. Traditions and national values are frequently mentioned. Every foreigner is paid the compliment of being a good representative of his or her country, and is assumed to be proud of this. The second toast could be to the guests’ home countries, to their families or family in general. Toasting mothers is mandatory, as is friendship, deceased relatives, existing and future children, peace, love, and the hostess. The tamada can combine topics into one toast, or split topics into several toasts. The more people present, the more formal the toasts. At evenings with close friends, the toasts are often quite witty and versant.com • 17
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