Contribute to spreading traditional values and Vietnamese cultural identity

Chú thích ảnh — Artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan (left) is preparing tea for visitors to the Vietnamese booth at the Wellington multicultural festival.

This year's Wellington Multicultural Festival attracted 12 international cultural communities, including the Canada-Vietnam Cultural and Education Council (CVCEC) in collaboration with Song Hy Tra representing the Vietnamese community with a Dan Nguyet tea table and a tea art performance by artist Nguyen Ngoc Tuan.

Sharing with VNA reporters in Canada, artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, owner of the Song Hy Tra brand, said that we are proud to be the cradle, the birthplace of tea trees in the world . Tea culture as well as tea trees have been associated with the lives of Vietnamese people for a long time and I wish to bring Vietnamese tea culture to the world to invite everyone to know about Vietnamese tea drinking culture with a long history and many beautiful features preserved to this day.

Tea is a drink found in many countries, but Vietnamese people enjoy tea in a very unique way, not fussy with complicated rituals like Japanese tea ceremony and not elaborately decorated like Chinese tea. The image of tea cups in each house reflects the unique, simple way of drinking tea that has been passed down from ancient times to the present day and cannot be found in any other country.

The traditional way of enjoying tea of Vietnamese people is simple and rustic. The cup of tea is shown as a bridge, connecting family affection, neighborly affection and furthermore, friendship between communities or countries.

Mr. Daniel, a visitor to the Vietnamese booth at the festival, sipped a cup of hot tea and commented that the taste was very light, not sweet, but had the flavor of bamboo, earth and was very natural. He affirmed that it was wonderful to enjoy such a drink.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Marry said that the tea taste is very special, fresh and refreshing. She confided that we really enjoy the experience of drinking tea with your green bean cake, it creates a very unique flavor. It has a nutty taste and then the light taste of tea, it is really delicious and wonderful.

The cup of tea has truly become a bridge. It helps Canadian friends or visitors attending this cultural festival understand more about Vietnamese customs and practices from the second most favorite drink after water.

Through a cup of tea, Vietnamese tea leaves will tell their own stories, about the tea growing areas, about the people who have devoted their whole lives to tea trees and this partly reflects the cultural beauty of the Vietnamese people. The aroma of tea leaves becomes an attractive invitation to visit Vietnam for international friends.

There are 6 elements that create a perfect Vietnamese tea-drinking session, which are “first water, second tea, third brewing, fourth teapot, fifth music and sixth house”. The word “house” here means the space for tea-drinking and the tea table is a very important part here. The tea table is modeled after the shape of a Moon-shaped lute, which also evokes the “music” element and creates an elegant look in tea-drinking.

According to artisan Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, the image of the Moon Lute is a traditional instrument of the Vietnamese people. It represents the moon-shaped tea table and also represents the style of a gentleman. With tea drinking, we can combine the fifth element, the five musical instruments, in it. It carries the spirit of elegant tea drinking of the Vietnamese people.

This event marks the first time the Vietnamese community in Canada has contributed their voice to a sophisticated multicultural exchange space. The performance of tea art and the distinctive image of the tea table have become a spiritual symbol of the Vietnamese people, contributing to affirming cultural identity and spreading our traditional values to the world.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/gop-phan-lan-toa-gia-tri-truyen-thong-va-ban-sac-van-hoa-viet-a424688.html