The beauty of tea culture on Tet holiday

The ancient Vietnamese people have a saying: "Guests come to the house without tea, then wine", showing hospitality in the culture of communication. Especially, every time Tet comes, Spring comes, the joy of meeting relatives and friends to chat, enjoy a cup of hot tea, brings elegance and sophistication in the culture of communication and behavior, together looking forward to a new year of peace, prosperity, abundance and fulfillment.

Tea drinking is a beautiful cultural feature of Vietnamese people. (Internet photo)

For Vietnamese people, the art of making and drinking tea is expressed through the saying: "First water, second tea, third cup, fourth vase, fifth friends" - the important factors to create a good pot of tea are: water for making tea, type of tea, tea cup, teapot and tea companion. In a wooden church of more than 50 square meters, Mr. Nguyen The Do ( Nam Dinh city) collected a lot of tea such as: lotus tea, Tan Cuong tea, Shan Tuyet tea, jasmine tea, oolong tea, Tieguanyin tea, Pu'er tea; each type of tea comes from different regions or tea essences such as: Bach Diep Tay Ho lotus tea, Hue white lotus tea with whole flowers; tangerine Pu'er tea, rolled flower Pu'er tea; Tan Cuong tea (nail tea, shrimp tea, bud tea)...

While introducing, Mr. Do took a tin box placed deep in the corner of the shelf with red paper labeled with the three words "Tra Man Hao", carefully opened the lid of the box and took out the Man Hao - Dien Thai lotus tea package carefully wrapped in several layers of paper, then put the tea into a double-insulated teapot, the type of teapot that makes enough tea for two people to drink. Mr. Do said: "The trick of the art of making tea is to fill the tea properly, if you are not used to it, too much or too little tea is not good. The brewed tea will be too strong or too weak, losing the delicate flavor of the tea, especially with the precious Man Sen". Having just finished filling the tea, the pot on the charcoal stove just boiled and emitted a stream of white steam, he lifted the pot, poured boiling water into the pot, and poured the remaining little into the Tong cup, from the Tong cup he transferred the water to the two Quan cups. The tea was enough to soak, Mr. Do poured the tea into the Tong cup and then transferred it to the two Quan cups. He lifted the teacup, leisurely enjoying the pure aroma of the natural ancient tea tree mixed with the scent of lotus, then took a sip to taste the richness of the tea and let out a soft sigh.

I followed the old man's example, holding the teacup that was still steaming like a thin layer of mist, lightly covering the rim of the cup, bringing it up to take a light breath to enjoy the aroma of the tea, then taking a small sip, feeling the sweet aftertaste of the Man Hao spreading in my mouth and sweetly going down my throat. Next, old man Do used a silver pot to pour another cup of rainwater into the kettle, adding a piece of charcoal to the mouth of the stove. When the kettle was boiling, he let me enjoy the second tea - the best, most flavorful tea of ​​the week that tea connoisseurs often compare the first tea as the "daughter" tea, the pure, fresh flavor that attracts tea drinkers, but the second tea, the "young woman" tea, exudes the soul of the tea, the gentleness, the subtlety of the shy flavor contained in the tea. According to old man Do, today perhaps few people still know about this tea, it seems to have been lost or is only used in a small community. The raw materials to make Man Hao tea are the buds of 1 bud and 2 leaves of the best Shan Tuyet tea variety. Through the fermentation process, the flavor of the ancient tea is less bitter but sweeter, very easy to drink, each cup of fragrant tea seems to carry the scent of flowers and earth in all four seasons, making the tea drinker open their senses, clearly feeling the deep harmony and synchronicity of nature, earth and all things. Man Hao tea is a precious tea, mainly for the aristocracy, which is now in danger of being lost. Although Mr. Do's son works in the tea industry and has invested a lot of effort and money to restore this famous tea, the production quantity is not much and not many people know about it. Every time Tet comes, when Spring comes, when friends come to visit, Mr. Do often chooses delicious teas to brew for guests and as gifts to express his sincerity with wishes for a new year of peace and prosperity.

In modern times, the culture of enjoying tea is still preserved, especially during Tet and Spring, when we gather with our loved ones to enjoy the traditional features of the nation that not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy on normal days, a cup of fragrant tea with green banh chung and red parallel sentences. Enjoying tea is also enjoying the culture, beautiful rituals, such as: young people making tea to invite adults, the host making tea to invite guests to visit... Sitting next to a hot teapot, enjoying the sweet aroma of tea and chatting, wishing each other the best wishes for a good new year.

Nowadays, the need to enjoy tea is becoming more and more popular, many events and conferences are organized with tea parties. Ms. Hoang Truc Linh, the daughter-in-law of Mr. Do, who specializes in organizing tea parties at events and conferences, shared: Organizing tea parties at events and conferences not only creates space and opportunities for connection and exchange, but also is an opportunity to introduce and spread the beauty of traditional Vietnamese tea culture. When organizing tea party events and conferences, she always emphasizes the preservation of traditional cultural beauty, the unique tea drinking style of Vietnamese people, which is both sophisticated and delicate but also suitable for the nature of the event. In the comfortable, cozy space of a tea party, people can easily chat, discuss, build relationships, relax, enjoy snacks and a cup of fragrant, warm tea.

Vietnamese tea culture not only represents a popular drink in daily life, but also every time Tet comes, spring comes, tea is also chosen as a gift for grandparents, parents, and relatives. Although there are changes, the drink has become modern, rich and diverse, tea is still a drink that carries the long-standing cultural traditions of the Vietnamese people. On Tet, next to a pot of fragrant tea, the family sits together in the cold weather, feels the elegance of tea and sends good, meaningful wishes to grandparents, parents, and relatives for a peaceful new year.

Ngoc Linh

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202501/net-dep-van-hoa-thuong-tra-ngay-tet-db0237c/