A Supra is a traditional Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 feast and an important part of Georgian social culture. There are two types of Supra: a festive supra (ლხინის სუფრა, [lxɪnɪs sʊpʰra]), called a Keipi

Keipi

A Keipi or festivity Supra is a traditional banquet feast in Georgia.- History :In ancient Georgia, a keipi would be held in the spring for all the village to attend. The woman of the village would ensure that the food was constantly replenished as a tamada, or toastmaster, gives a toast...

, and a sombre supra (ჭირის სუფრა, [tʃʼɪrɪs sʊpʰra]), called a Kelekhi that is always held after burials.

Etymology

In Georgian

Georgian language

Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...

, "supra" means "table-cloth". Large public meal

Meal

A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...

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

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 sofre (from Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

  şufra "napkin, table(cloth)"), which currently refers to a pious votive repast where alcohol would be highly inappropriate, but originally meant a royal banquet of early Safavid court.

Rules of Supra

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

Tamada

A tamada is the toastmaster at a Georgian Supra or at a Russian wedding, corresponding to the symposiarch at the Greek symposion or the thyle at the Anglo-Saxon sumbel....

, or toastmaster, who introduces each toast

Toast (honor)

A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a 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.

A Keipi toast is called s "Sadghegrdzelo" (სადღეგრძელო, [sadɣɛɡrdzɛlɔ]), while a Kelekhi toast is called a "Shesandobari" (შესანდობარი, [ʃɛsandɔbarɪ]).

External links

• Darra Goldstein, The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia, 1999, ISBN 0520219295
• The Autocrat of the Banquet Table...;
• About Georgia;
• GEORGIA TRAVEL, Wine drinking, tradition in Georgia;
• Days in Georgia GEORGIA CULTURE AND TRADITIONS.