A supra (

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

: სუფრა ) is a traditional

feast and a part of Georgian social culture. There are two types of supra: a festive supra (ლხინის სუფრა, ), called a ''

keipi A Keipi ( ka, ქეიფი) or festivity ''Supra (feast), supra'' is a traditional banquet feast in Georgia (country), Georgia. History In ancient Georgia, a ''keipi'' would be held in the spring for all the village to attend. The women of t ...

;'' and a sombre supra (ჭირის სუფრა, ), called a ''kelekhi'', which is always held after burials. The traditions of ''supra'', as an important part of Georgian social culture, were inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list in 2017. Traditionally, and for many Georgians, up to the present, the foregrounded participants at a supra are men, with women relegated to secondary, supporting roles (especially as far as food preparation is concerned).

Etymology

, "supra" literally means "table-cloth" and, over centuries, it has become essentially synonymous with feasts where a large table is ordinarily set. The word for "table-cloth" itself is likely related to the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word ''sofre'', although it does not have the same connotations outside of the Georgian language context. Large public

meal A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they c ...

s are never held in Georgia without a supra; when there are no tables, the supra is laid on the ground.

Rules

Regardless of size and type, a supra is always led by a ''

tamada A tamada ( ka, თამადა) is a Georgian toastmaster at a Georgian ''supra'' (feast) or at a wedding, corresponding to the symposiarch at the Greek symposion or the thyle at the Anglo-Saxon sumbel. At all supras regardless of size, ...

'', 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, often in a generally 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 to them. 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. Some popular traditional themes include toasts to God, Georgia, family, the mother of God, various saints, friends, ancestors, and so on. However, the theme of each toast is up to the tamada, who should be able to tailor his or her toasts to the occasion. A keipi toast is called ''sadghegrdzelo'' (სადღეგრძელო, ), while a kelekhi toast is called a ''shesandobari'' (შესანდობარი, ).

References

External links

* Darra Goldstein
''The Georgian Feast': The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia''
1999,
The Autocrat of the Banquet Table

Culture of Georgia (country) Georgian words and phrases Eating parties {{Georgia-stub

Etymology

Rules

See also

References

External links