TEA DRINKING CEREMONY
Tea ceremony in Japan. © Pixabai.e
Japanese tea ceremony means "tea road" (CHADO, CHANOYU). This is a choreographed preparation ritual of Matcha tea in front of guests, oh his main purpose is to show his hospitality.
Tea is drunk with concentration and in silence, the most important thing is the internal connection of the participants, reflections, conversation with oneself. The most important thing in the ceremony is to connect the five human senses.
About 5-6 people participate in the ceremony. One of them is usually the guest of honor. The tea ceremony takes place in a dedicated tea house, which can only be entered by those who leave all bad thoughts and everyday worries behind the door.
The process is very simple, but each stage of the ceremony has certain movements, and the tools must be placed in certain places.
The utensils used for tea preparation, and the decoration elements of the teahouse may vary depending on the season.
The main dishes used during the tea ceremony are:
CHAWAN
CHAWAN - ceramic cup for preparing tea. Bowls come in various sizes, shapes and colors. In the cold season, deeper bowls are used to keep the tea warm longer, and in the summer, thicker bowls are used.
CHASEN
CHASEN – a bamboo whisk for whisking tea.
CHASAK
CHASAK – a bamboo spoon for scooping Matcha tea powder.
KHAKI
KHAKI – a container for storing tea powder. They fall into two categories: Chair Koicha (thick Matcha) is used, Natsume Usucha (liquid Matcha) for tea.
During the tea ceremony, guests are served not only this drink, but also traditional Japanese sweets, which help to soften the taste of the tea.
