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Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony

© Natalie Juliette Parker

This time the article has nothing to do with languages. We are going to go over a Chinese custom. I am in the middle of planning a wedding right now so I decided to do a little research to learn about Chinese wedding customs. I came across this beautiful tea ceremony. Every fourth article will be about something different about China. One time it may be about customs, another time travel, or even history. I want to expand my knowledge about this wonderful country rich with tradition.

Lets examine why it is tea or cha as it is called in China is used. Tea is one of China's most revered drinks. It has long been an important part of the Chinese culture. According to legend tea was an accidental invention. It was discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 B.C. Emperor Shen Nong was a scholar and herbalist, as well as being highly creative. He had a strong belief that drinking boiled water led to good health. His subjects and servents were ordered to boil their water as a precaution before drinking. Then one summer day as he was visiting a distant region. He stopped to rest. The servants set about to boil his water. There were some dried leaves that began to fall from a camellia bush. They fell directly into the Emperors water. The Emperor found the aroma pleasing. So, he decided to give this infused drink a try. He found it to be refreashing and delightful. He then declared tea gives vigor and is medicinal. Around 300 A.D. tea became a daily drink. Later tea became a tradition and had ceremonys placed around it.

One of the ceremonies was of course the wedding Tea Ceremony. This is a very good thing as not everyone has the option of drinking alcohol.

Lotus seeds and two red dates are used in tea for two reasons. First, the words lotus and year, seed and child, and date and early, have the same sound but different meanings in Chinese. Second, the anchient Chinese believe that by having these things in their tea would help newlyweds with conception early on in the marriage. The sweet taste of the tea is a wish for sweet relations among the bride and her new family.

The bride is the one to serve the tea. She holds the teacup with both hands. She offers this to her parents at home before the groom arrives. This is to show respect and thanks to her parents. This tea does not have to have the lotus seeds or dates.

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