The literal translation of the proverb would be: “The village celebrates the feast; the ‘president’ gets the name. ” When the people from a village celebrate their feast, someone from the village either volunteers or is elected or appointed to be the “pirjent”
or president. A president is like the main “celebrator” (the word celebrant has a special meaning, hence the word “celebrator”) who shoulders all the expenditure of the celebration, and in return enjoys the main spotlight. But it is felt that he enjoys a greater glory and honour than what he pays for, i.e., more than is warranted by the expenses he has to undergo. Hence this proverb.
The proverb is generally used when the person who gets the credit for something does not entirely deserve it. Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.” In real life we come across many situations of this type. Perhaps there is a little public envy underlying the origin of the proverb.