Tamada

A tamada (Georgian:თამადა) is a Georgian toastmaster at a Georgian supra (feast) or at a Russian wedding, corresponding to the symposiarch at the Greek symposion or the thyle at the Anglo-Saxon sumbel.

At all supras regardless of size, there is a tamada, or toastmaster, one person who introduces each toast. Georgians like to say that the tamada is dictator of the table, but it would be more appropriate to compare him to a leader or even a teacher. Tamada traditionally ought to be eloquent, intelligent, smart, sharp−witted and quick−thinking, with a good sense of humor since very often some of the guests might try to compete with him on the toast making. At the Georgian table, a tamada is considered to help bridge the gap between past, present and future, toasting ancestors and descendants as well as the other guests at the table. A toast can be proposed only by a tamada; the rest are to develop the idea. Some toasts take a traditional form; for example, for some toasts all men have to stand up and drink wine in silence. In many cases, however, the guests vie to say something more original and emotional than the previous speaker, and the whole process grows into a sort of oratory contest.