The tea ceremony consists of the host first bringing the tea utensils into the room, offering the guests special sweets, and then preparing and serving them tea made of pulverized tea leaf stirred in hot water. The serving of sweets and tea may be preceded by a light meal.

Japanese Tea Ceremony represents harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity which we must embrace in order to achieve the main purpose of the tea ceremony. This event is unique as every process from the tea equipment preparation until the tea is drunk has a distinctive technique.

Wear understated colors and conservative shapes, such as a suit and tie, or a long, modest skirt. Avoid wearing jewelry, perfume and loud colors or patterns, which can distract others from properly observing the ceremonial customs.

Purchase decorations & tea ceremony supplies You’ll need a tea pot, tray, tea, enough tea cups, kneeling pillows, decorations, and any thing else you want to include (extra red envelopes, etc.)

The tea ceremony may be held before or after the solemnization but must comply with requirements such as the social gathering size limit of 5 persons or the cap of 5 visitors a day to a place of residence.

The amount given in the angbaos for tea ceremonies are generally smaller than angbaos for banquet lunches/dinners. Some seniors can also choose to give angbaos only during the tea ceremony without a 2nd one during the banquet.

The most common amounts given range from $1,888 to $8,888. There is no minimum sum, nor is there a limit as well. It is entirely up to you. The bride’s family will return a part of the total Pin Jin to the groom’s family.

On average, it should take about 3-4 mins for a single person or 6-8 minutes for a pair. Do the math and add an extra 15-20 minutes on top of that to get the total time to budget for the tea ceremony.

Typically, the best man holds the tea tray while the maid of honor pours the tea into two small tea cups. The couple then picks up the tea cups and offer tea to the family members starting with the eldest members such as the grandparents and the parents from both sides.

jing cha

Symbolism: Tea represents harmony, peace, spiritual enlightenment, spiritual awakening, spiritual connection, rejuvenation, refreshment, change and contentment. The moment you sip hot tea, you feel satisfied and all of your stress is relieved. Dreaming of drinking hot ginger tea indicates happiness and good fortune.

four hours

In a full Tea ceremony, special guests would be consulted beforehand on what type of tea and food should be served. The day beforehand is when the kaiseki meal is prepared. This is a traditional Japanese meal that consists of many small dishes of delicacies that typically consist of rice, vegetables, and soup.

Address the family members you are serving tea to in kinship terms, and hand them the teacup with both hands. When serving, you must say, “[kinship term], please drink the tea.”

Raku ware