Tamas: Gratitude for the Divine Help

In many Greek temples, one can see small embossed plates hanging in front of icons. These plates are called tamata, or tamas. It's a very beautiful ancient tradition: the believers present tamas to the icons, thus "personifying" their requests or expressing gratitude for divine help.

The very name τάμα is a distorted version of the Greek word τάγμα, which can be translated, among other things, as a payment promise. Tamas are small embossed plaques with various images, which may be made of gold, silver, aluminum, or even wax. They usually depict body parts, people (babies, women, men, children), houses, or simply inscriptions like ευχαριστώ, which means "thank you".

The custom of offering tamas traces its roots back to the traditions and beliefs of ancient Greeks. For instance, clay or marble representations of healed body parts were dedicated to the god of healing, Asclepius. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, images are sometimes replaced with crosses or jewelry; however, tamata remain the most common offering to icons.

Now you have the opportunity to convey your request or express gratitude for divine assistance to miraculous images from the comfort of your home. You can purchase tamas, which we will then deliver to the Orthodox icon of your choice. Upon completion, a certificate of purchase of the tama for the chosen icon will be sent to your email as confirmation.