Toast like you’re in Georgia.

  • by

According to positive-psychology research, expressing gratitude can make people happier. Express your gratitude for your friends and loved ones through Georgian drinking traditions by volunteering to be the happy hour tamada, or toastmaster. Throughout your happy hour, preferably enjoyed with Georgian wine, you’ll need to give witty and moving toasts, and encourage others to make toasts, too.

“The rules of the Georgian table call for uplifting toasts; each occasion, even a sad one, becomes an affirmation of life,” writes Darra Goldstein in the book “The Georgian Feast.”

Wield your tamada powers wisely. The job includes the responsibility of making sure people are drinking responsibly.

“The tamada’s ability to pace the evening is also crucial,” Goldstein writes. “Each time a toast is pronounced, whether by the tamada or another person, wine is drunk as a mark of honor. But if inebriation seems likely, the tamada must slow down the succession of toasts.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *