Tamata may be offered to an icon or shrine of a saint as a reminder of a petitioner's particular need, or in gratitude for a prayer answered.
Tamata may be bought in shops selling Greek Orthodox religious items, and then hung with a ribbon on a pole or hooks near an icon or shrine of a saint, the act of which is usually accompanied with a prayer, and sometimes with the lighting of a votive candle.
According to tradition, while he was serving as Vizier to the Caliph, he was falsely accused of treachery and his hand was cut off.
This icon, now called "Trojeručica" (The Three-handed) is preserved at Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos.
It may be compared to many forms of Roman Catholic votive offerings, such as the Milagros traditionally used for healing purposes and as votive offerings in the Roman Catholic cultures of Mexico, the southern United States, Latin America, and parts of the Iberian Peninsula.