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The
supra is an ancient ritual banquet where men toast all those
things that are precious to them: love, family, the host’s
and guest’s country, heroes, those who have died, courage,
beauty, women, poetry, nature, honesty, children, events of
the past, present and future, dreams and visions, birthdays
and anniversaries, holidays, friends, wives, education and
learning, courage and patriotism, fellowship, goodwill,
peace and honesty. It is for the whole family and their
friends but only the men must return and/or make a toast.
The shortest “supra” that we attended was seven hours and
the longest two continuous days. It does not take long to
learn to sip rather than toast for “dry glass”, especially
if you are a foreign guest. It is, most of all, a
celebration of life, Georgia and your native place of
origin. It is one of the tools that has used through the
years and today by the Georgians to outlast the Persians,
Turks, Russians and the influx of materialism from the West.
The supra is the central ritual banquet that keeps myths
alive and growing, while also sustaining the family, the
nation and whatever makes Georgia “Georgia”. An American
Supra is one American’s journey to this rich culture, taking
along the baggage of his tradition and learning, while
adding the spice of Georgia to the mix. It is a Peace
Journey of learning and sharing.
In a
journey to help the arts organizations in a new democracy,
one starts with what is known: Georgia is an old and
culturally rich culture that dates historically from 7500
BC, in myth gave the Golden Fleece to Jason when he
journeyed up the Black Sea, was an important stop on the
Silk Road from China to Europe, and has one of the thirteen
original languages in the world. Their contemporary artists
have traveled to other countries and helped to create the
new styles for the 20th century. Their opera
singer have starred at La Scala and other venues of
excellence. It is the birthplace of a dictator who went to
Russia to head Communism and a choreographer who sailed to
America to head the New York City Ballet. The Tbilisi
Academy of Fine Arts, over 80 years in existence, has been
the garden of education for a host of innovators in the
Caucasus. Being conscious that I came from one of the oldest
continuous democracies, I was traveling to one of the
newest. The Republic of Georgia is an interesting
combination of the old, which is never far away, and the
new, which is also under foot. In the paintings in the
bazaar, you see Old Tbilisi in its unique look.
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