Tet holiday talks about tea drinking and Vietnamese tea culture

Nbeautiful night on traditional New Year's Day

The culture of enjoying tea on Tet holiday has long become an indispensable part of the traditional culture of Vietnamese people. From ancient times to the present, enjoying tea is not only a traditional cultural feature but also a manifestation of respect, honor and affection connecting family and friends during the Lunar New Year.

In Vietnamese tea culture, there are always meaningful rituals such as: Young people make tea to invite the elderly, the host makes tea to invite guests; gathering around a hot teapot, enjoying a cup of spring tea and chatting, sharing feelings.

In families with three or four generations living together, on the morning of the first day of Tet, the extended family often sits around the tea table to wish the elders a long life and listen to their advice. This is also a typical cultural feature of our nation, family members gather together in the fresh moments of the first day of Spring, to reminisce about memories, to talk about the present and to wish for many good and peaceful things in the future, towards a new year of peace, prosperity, abundance and fulfillment.

Each tea bud is the crystallization of the essence of heaven and earth, through the hands of the grower who takes care of it, the hands of the tea artisans who roast and infuse the tea to become a richly flavored drink. Enjoying tea is not for those who are in a hurry. Tet is the time for each person to slowly feel the taste of tea, from bitter to astringent and finally the sweet taste lingers on the tip of the tongue.

The sophistication of traditional Vietnamese tea

"Nowhere like in Vietnam, tea is present in many levels, from simple, rustic, and rustic to sophisticated and refined. Tea can "reign" from mansions, government offices to the corners of alleys, tea is everywhere" - author Tran Quang Duc has meticulously pointed out the ways to drink tea in the book "Tea Story - History of an ancient drink of the Vietnamese people".

The way Vietnamese people make and enjoy tea is not elaborate and has many rules, it is raised to an art like Japan and China - where tea is considered a religion (as called Tra Kinh, Tra Dao). Perhaps from not following any mandatory standards, the way Vietnamese people make and enjoy tea gradually becomes creative. Vietnamese people often call it Phong Tra (tea drinking style), which richly expresses the cultural aspects of Vietnamese people's behavior. And the way Vietnamese people drink tea is also very unique: the ancients believed that drinking tea is an art, and art is not formulaic.

The ancients often had the following way of drinking tea: Before drinking, they usually put it through the nose to enjoy the tea flavor, then gradually lower it to the mouth, take a small sip, taste the bitterness, the teeth feel as if they are tightening, smack their lips a few times and feel the gastric juice secreted in the mouth with a sweet taste, happily discussing tea.

For Vietnamese people, the art of making tea is encapsulated in the sentence:"First water, second tea, third cup, fourth vase, fifth friends"(The important factors to make a good pot of tea are: water for making tea, type of tea, teacup, teapot, tea friend).

The water used to make tea must usually be rainwater collected from the sky, or from natural springs, or more elaborately, dew on lotus leaves in the early morning. The way the water is boiled must also ensure that it remains pure and does not affect the flavor of the tea.

“Three cups, four pots” (teapot and teapot) is a tea making and drinking set consisting of a teapot and four cups, one special teacup. The special cup is usually a jackfruit seed cup (buffalo eye), the pot also has a special pot, a special pot, depending on the drinking style “drinking alone, drinking together, drinking together or drinking together” to choose the appropriate type of pot.

With the “five groups of brothers” tea friends, finding a “tea friend” is sometimes harder than finding a “drinking friend”. Because a tea friend is a soul mate, together we enjoy tea, recite poetry, confide our feelings or discuss family, society, human affairs and the world to feel that in tea there is heaven, earth, grass and trees.

TeaVietnamfrom traditional to modern

In modern times, the culture of tea drinking is still preserved and is becoming more and more formal and elaborate, such as tea parties held at important events and conferences. The need to organize tea parties at events and conferences is highly appreciated and increasingly popular.

Holding a tea party is a great way to create an environment for communication and interaction among attendees. In the comfortable and cozy atmosphere of a tea party, people can easily start and participate in conversations, facilitating the building of close relationships and interactions among members. People can freely discuss and share information, helping to improve their knowledge and understanding of the issues discussed in the conference.

This is also an opportunity to relax and unwind after stressful working sessions. During long and stressful conferences, it is important to have a short break to relax and recharge. Tea parties provide an ideal space for people to relax, enjoy snacks and a cup of fragrant, refreshing tea.

Tea parties are also an opportunity for people to connect and expand their personal and professional relationships. Meetings and conversations at tea parties often open up new opportunities, from finding business partners to finding opportunities for cooperation and career development.

Ms. Le Thao My - CEO of Phuc An Farm shared: "Organizing tea parties at events and conferences not only creates space and opportunities for connection and exchange, but also serves as an opportunity to introduce and spread the beauty of traditional Vietnamese tea culture. We always promote the preservation of traditional cultural beauty and the unique tea-drinking style of Vietnamese people."

Tung Linh