Supra Glossary

🍷Roles and words of the table

Tamada

The leader of the table, chosen and blessed by the host. He opens the toasts, keeps their order, and closes the supra.

Merikipe

The tamada's helper, in charge of pouring. He makes sure nobody's glass is empty when a toast is said.

Alaverdi

Passing a toast to another member of the table, who takes up the same theme, develops it and hands it back to the tamada.The word's origin is disputed — nobody at the table minds.

Sadghegrdzelo (toast)

Words that wish someone or something a long life. From „dghegrdzeloba“: long days, a long life.

Shesandobari

The toast to the departed. Said standing, glasses are not clinked, and nobody lingers on it.

Bolomde (to the bottom)

On the great toasts — God, peace, the reason of the table — the glass is emptied. On the rest, the tamada sets the measure.

Mravalzhamier

„Many years“ — a long life to you. Both a wish and a table song that follows a toast of honour.

Neba mibodzet (allow me)

The phrase with which a member of the table asks the tamada for the floor. No toast is said past the tamada.

Gaumarjos / gagimarjos

Gaumarjos — to him, her or it: „to Georgia“. Gagimarjos — to you, said to someone's face: „to you, brother“.

The parting toast

The second-to-last toast: may we part as peacefully as we gathered, and gather again.

The toast to the Holy Virgin

The last toast, which closes the supra. After it the guests toast the tamada — at a feast; never at a memorial.

🐐Vessels

A special toast asks for a special vessel — and it passes from hand to hand.

Kantsi

A drinking horn of goat, ox or chamois, brought out for a toast of honour. It has no base, so it cannot be set down until it is empty.More an eastern Georgian custom — at weddings and christenings.

Chinchila

A narrow-necked clay vessel, used to bless children.

Sapekhe

A Gurian vessel for the toast to a guest who has just arrived — even one who does not drink.

Azarpesha

A flat silver cup with a long handle, brought out for a toast of honour.

Piala

A wide bowl with no handle, held in both hands.

Tasi

A ceremonial metal cup, most often silver. Often an heirloom, passed down a family.

Badia

A large, deep vessel of wood or metal. It goes round the table from hand to hand and is drained.

Jami

A deep clay or wooden bowl. In old times wine was drunk from it too.

Kula

A wooden vessel with a narrow neck, common in Racha and Imereti.

Doki and khelada

Clay jugs that bring the wine to the table. A khelada has a handle; a doki not always.

📜Rules no book prints

Who drinks first

The host. With the first glass he blesses the table and names the tamada — and only then does the order begin.

The latecomer's fine

Whoever comes late „catches up“ with the toasts already said — one glass at least. Not a punishment, an honour: the table noticed.

Those who could not come

A Kakhetian table keeps a toast for those who wanted to come and could not. An absent person gets a toast too — the neighbour answers for them.

Taking an alaverdi

If the tamada passes you the toast, you continue on the same theme — briefly, in your own words — and hand it back to him.

Two halves

First the obligatory toasts, then the personal ones. In the second half nobody at the table is left unmentioned.

Pace

A feast runs three to four hours and eight to sixteen toasts. A memorial supra: under two hours and seven to nine.

No toast to the tamada at a memorial

At a mourning table the tamada is not toasted. The family wishes him one thing only: that next time he leads a table of joy.