The Magic of Midnight
reflections from a Supra
As the moon dances across the night sky, we are welcomed in, juicy tungsten light mingles with full glasses of amber wine.Â
“Wine has a birth, life and death. It's a living thing".Â
And with that, refills go around, forbidding a wine glass to ever go empty. The table seems endlessly caressed in food, and as the twilight matures into night, more and more breads and fishes and jonjoli appear from the kitchen. Our tastebuds relish in the flavors and textures, as we share in the bliss of it all.
The tamada, or toastmaster, leads the Supra with hardiness, a journey through stories of gratitude for the land, respect for the vines, for the bountifulness of nature and a gratefulness for life. There's a special prayer for womanhood, and the strength that we embody. Stories of love and tears of joy play their parts, emboldening the connection between the long table's guests.
The warmth of our bodies and steam from the fresh bread spill out of the open windows and into the midnight indigo skies filled with stars, greeting the wisps of our voices with deep possibility. Joy sits at the table with us.
And although the food at the Supra is bountiful—a harvest of the products from the ripe lands that surround us—it’s not really about the food. The meal is a vessel. A reason for us to join together, and something to fall back on. It’s the familiar and global setting of a dinner table that gives us the excuse to receive what we all need— connection to one another. The Supra table is a place where blessings are counted, gratitude is waxed poetically, and cheeks blush in a way they only do with wine.
It's a time for celebration, it’s a time to meet your neighbors. There is no such thing as overstaying your welcome here. The dinner stretches for as long as desired, and we continue to fill each other’s glasses with wine and laughter. We are friends. We share stone fruits, we pass the plates of fish and pickles, we break loaves of bread with our hands. We nourish ourselves, together.
The Supra is a gathering to share in humanity and in community—a congregation that establishes belonging—no matter how far away from home you may be.