Within the framework of the Vietnam - Japan Festival 2024 in Da Nang City taking place from July 4-7, with many special activities, such as the Vietnam - Japan Cooperation Achievements Exhibition, seminars, business talks, trade connections, sports and art exchange programs with many activities appearing for the first time at the festival such as experiencing Japanese baseball, Bon Odori exchange and bamboo dance... The highlight of this Festival is the Japanese Tea Ceremony and Vietnamese Tea Ceremony program.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony is considered one of the three classical arts of Japanese quintessence, along with kodo incense appreciation and kado flower arrangement. The tea ceremony originated from Zen Buddhism in 815. At that time, the monk Eichu returned from China and specially prepared sencha for Emperor Saga. In China, tea is a beverage with a history of more than a thousand years.
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From simply drinking tea, moving on to the way of making and drinking tea, then the ritual of enjoying tea until condensing into the tea ceremony, this is a never-ending process that the Japanese ultimately want to aim for. Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility are the four basic principles of the Tea Ceremony. Buddhism often uses the term "finger pointing at the moon". Broadly speaking, the Tea Ceremony is a path that, once completed, will lead to a place where there is "both good and bad tea". Like many things that need to be trained and learned, the Tea Ceremony is always associated with practice. Unlike waiting for something, the Tea Ceremony belongs to the "self-mastery" lifestyle.
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History and culture of Vietnamese tea:
Vietnam has a tea culture that has been closely associated with wet rice agriculture for more than 5,000 years. Tea plants were initially considered herbs with medicinal and detoxifying properties, and gradually became a regular drink of Vietnamese people. The density of Vietnamese tea covers from the northern provinces with thousands of ancient tea trees over 500 years old to the southern provinces with many new tea varieties, typically Lam Dong province. The total tea growing area in Vietnam is 130,000 hectares, with a yield of more than 5,000 tons of dry tea per year, with raw export output ranking 5th globally.
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In Vietnam, the spirit of Vietnamese tea is associated with the circumstances of a country that has been through many natural disasters and wars, characterized by generosity. The Vietnamese people's fusion creates diversity in tea enjoyment, from the most simple and honest to the most sophisticated and complex. Each style is associated with a philosophy of life, promoting chivalry, sincerity, and human relations, typically the saying "tea slaves and wine generals" shows the spirit of service and humility of the Vietnamese people in their tea culture. The cultural identity of Vietnamese tea is clearly expressed through the culture of Vietnamese Tea Consciousness that the Doi Dep brand wants to honor and promote.
“VIETNAMESE TEA” is the encapsulation of the national identity of the multi-consciousness and deep awareness in the interpersonal relationships of the Vietnamese people. The diversity of the styles in enjoying tea of the Vietnamese people is expressed through the Five Vietnamese Tea Consciousnesses:
Moc consciousness: This is a popular way of drinking tea for Vietnamese people when they do not place too much emphasis on the sophistication of tea drinking. Anywhere, anytime, in the simplest way, Vietnamese people can drink tea, as long as there is tea present. Moc Thuc is a popular form of tea drinking, opening the way for other styles to develop. Through Moc Thuc, it is further affirmed that tea trees have existed closely with Vietnamese people from the beginning. With Moc Thuc, the style and type of tea are no longer important. Moc Thuc symbolizes the purity of Vietnamese people.
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Literature: It is a sophisticated way of enjoying tea. This style requires the tea drinker to have a certain understanding of tea, from the way of drinking to the type of tea. Tea drinkers who follow the literary style have different levels of perception of tea depending on each person's understanding, but in general, they have a deep understanding of tea. The literary style represents the aesthetics and sophistication of the Vietnamese people.
Consciousness: This is the royal tea-drinking style reserved for kings and royal families in the past. Although they were in high positions of power, the tea-drinking style of the ancient royal families was based on humility and service. Nowadays, royal tea is used in diplomatic tea parties and international relations to honor Vietnamese cultural values. Royal tea symbolizes the quintessence of Vietnamese tea culture.
Mindfulness: It is a way of enjoying tea that aims for tranquility and contemplation. Tea drinkers through this style want to have an inner silence to reflect on life, from which they can draw their own values. Mindfulness is also a way of drinking tea that aims for peace of mind and body, peace of soul, turning inward and practicing self-mindfulness. Mindfulness symbolizes the purity of the Vietnamese soul.
Consciousness: Enjoying tea combined with reading books and appreciating art enriches the intellect and soul of Vietnamese people. Reading symbolizes the intellect of Vietnamese people.
Vietnamese tea through five basic forms has conveyed the spirit - spirit - soul, which is the cultural identity of Vietnamese tea drinking. Depending on the object, context, space, time, the combination of forms is flexible and not necessarily rigid in any form, because after all, no matter how, Vietnamese people think of tea as a popular drink that conveys the eternal dream of our ancestors about the desire for peace, stability and development. Vietnamese tea culture is associated with the culture of responsibility, tea is the factor that connects people together. share and share responsibility.
About the quintessence of Vietnamese tea utensils:
Ceramic: https://youtu.be/mB-_FWKMnLw?si=IXb4eTwDkkls81Xk
Porcelain: Truong Chi porcelain, a tea cup made from bone china with kaolin from the famous land of the Hung Kings. The name Truong Chi porcelain is associated with a sad love story from the Hung King era about a ferryman on the Tieu Tuong River named Truong Chi and princess My Nuong. The sad love story ends when My Nuong drinks a tea cup made from a jade block from Truong Chi's body and mind when he died because he missed My Nuong so much. Truong Chi porcelain is characterized by being pure white on the outside but when the light shines on it, it glows with a jade green color from Phu Tho kaolin. When pouring tea into the cup, rubbing the edge of the cup will hear a resounding sound like the talented flute of the ferryman Truong Chi.
The essence of "Vietnamese National Tea":
The tea participating in the drinking session is Dai Hoang Bao tea, refined by the artisan of the Doi Dep brand. The brewed tea has a golden color like the king's royal robe. The raw material is made from the famous King Lo oolong tea region in Lam Dong province. The artisan of Doi Dep has processed this type of tea completely different and breakthrough compared to the traditional tea making methods that have existed for thousands of years. This creates the completeness and sophistication of the aroma, color, taste, and shape of the tea. Although the tea is deeply fermented, the tea leaves after breaking have a cool green color like fresh tea leaves still on the branches. The tea has many layers of aroma from the strong scent of flowers to the gentle taste of ripe fruit. The aroma of fruits and flowers spreads throughout the breath, elegant, soft, fatty, sweet and completely without bitterness. When stored for a long time (from 5 years to 8 years), Dai Hoang Bao tea not only does not spoil but also transforms its internal properties to create a unique, passionate flavor that cannot be confused with any other type of tea.
The Tea Space designed by the Doi Dep brand includes: Vietnamese bamboo, a symbol of Vietnamese culture, lotus, the national flower of Vietnam, the main area is the tea making table with pure Vietnamese tea utensils and the tea maker is a tea lady of the Doi Dep brand. To become a tea lady of the Doi Dep brand, the girls must meet 3 criteria: first, they must be able to make and taste over 20 types of tea, have a deep understanding of the characteristics of each type of tea; second, they must understand the history and culture of Vietnamese tea, have extensive cultural knowledge, be able to share and inspire tea drinkers; third, they must be proficient in at least one of the three contents of the tea ceremony including: tea singing, tea dancing and tea playing.
| Recently, at the Hung King's death anniversary ceremony in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province, Doi Dep Brand and the Organizing Committee offered "National Drink Vietnamese Tea" to Hung King and his ancestors. An Di Diep Ancestral Tea was made in extremely limited quantities to offer to Hung King on March 10. After the ceremony, the tea will be given to visitors to bring them luck, health, peace and prosperity when they have the opportunity to come to the National Ancestor's death anniversary ceremony. |
