Difference between revisions of "Sadghegrdzelo (Georgia)"

The confusion that this young Georgian woman describes concerning the identity of her acquaintances is provoked by a fundamental personal transformation that takes place in the process of proposing a toast (“sadghegrzelo”) at a festive meal (“supra”) in Georgia. A toast should come ‘from the heart,’ which is why, sometimes, Georgians place their left hand on their heart while holding a glass of wine, vodka or cognac in their right hand. Underlying this display of emotional veracity is a rigid behavioural and linguistic code. A toast may be proposed only to shared values—dissent must be avoided at all cost—and should be phrased in a specific, grammatically complex manner. This mixture of authenticity and strictly formalised behaviour may cause confusion (as expressed in the quotation above). The borders between ‘me’ and ‘not me’ (or ‘real me’ and ‘imagined me,’ as in the quotation) become so blurred that they are indistinguishable (Schechner 1983)<ref> Schechner, R. 1983. “Between Theater and Anthropology”. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press</ref>. It is this ambivalence that lies at the heart of toasting.

The term “sadghegrzelo” is a compound of the words “dghe”  (day) and  “ghrdzeli” (long). In this form,  “sadghegrzelo” means ‘to a long life,’ a wish that is expressed in the form of a toast. In the context of a festive meal presided over by a toastmaster ( “tamada” ), the toasts follow a generally uniform, yet not entirely fixed, structure. The “ tamada” raises the first toast in each of the many rounds of toasting and introduces a topic that is then taken up and elaborated on by the other participants in the ritual. Certain topics are obligatory, such as toasts to the family and the deceased, and a certain pattern is prescribed, such as following a toast to the deceased by proposing a toast to life, often presented as a toast to children. In addition, toasts to attributed identity (such as family or gender) are commonly proposed before toasts to acquired identity (such as profession or hobbies, Chatwin 1997)<ref> Chatwin, M. 1997. “Foodways and Sociocultural Transformation in the Republic of Georgia, 1989-1994.”Tbilisi: Metsniereba Press </ref>.  

 

Some toasts reinforce national values (especially the toast to the motherland, also more subtly expressed in toasts to culture, song and history); gender identity (particularly the obligatory toast to women); family values; and peer-group identity. The toasts should express honour to the addressee or the topic in question and should not contain any colloquial expressions, let alone swearwords, gossip or criticism. Each toast ends with a ritual formula, often  “gaumarjos” (‘cheers to…,’ literally ‘victory to…).