Metal Tama with an Image of a Man

Tamas (τάματα) with images of people symbolize a request for the health and well-being, or they are offered to miraculous icons as a token of gratitude from those who have been granted healing and assistance.

Tamas

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".