Since I was just writing about tea, I thought I would throw in an intriguing connection to the Japanese culture, which has a very specific ritual for making, pouring, and drinking tea. This is called the Way of the Tea, or "chadou" (literally "tea-ism"), and involves a particular preparation of powdered green tea. The specifics of the ritual change depending on the time of year. The colder months, November to April, have different utensils, mannerisms, etc. from the warmer months, May to October. Also, there are two kinds of tea that can be made: thick and thin. Thick tea requires about three times more powder than thin tea, and therefore is kneaded into the water with the tea whisk (see picture), as opposed to the thin tea method, where the powder is simply whisked in quickly. Thin tea is served individually in a small bowl, while thick tea is served to several people in a slightly larger one. Interesting stuff, no? I was curious if the ceremony had any connection to Shintoism, but I'm not seeing anything right off the bat. If anyone has any further information, please, let me know!
Wednesday
Green Tea Ceremony
Since I was just writing about tea, I thought I would throw in an intriguing connection to the Japanese culture, which has a very specific ritual for making, pouring, and drinking tea. This is called the Way of the Tea, or "chadou" (literally "tea-ism"), and involves a particular preparation of powdered green tea. The specifics of the ritual change depending on the time of year. The colder months, November to April, have different utensils, mannerisms, etc. from the warmer months, May to October. Also, there are two kinds of tea that can be made: thick and thin. Thick tea requires about three times more powder than thin tea, and therefore is kneaded into the water with the tea whisk (see picture), as opposed to the thin tea method, where the powder is simply whisked in quickly. Thin tea is served individually in a small bowl, while thick tea is served to several people in a slightly larger one. Interesting stuff, no? I was curious if the ceremony had any connection to Shintoism, but I'm not seeing anything right off the bat. If anyone has any further information, please, let me know!
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I totally just blew my own mind! I'm learning Japanese right now, and we have learned how to say green tea (ocha) and black tea (koucha). Thus, "cha" is the general for tea. Then, "dou" comes from the Chinese "dao" (as in Daoism), and means essentially "way" or "ism". So "chadou" really is tea-ism! This amuses me more than it should.
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