Konnichiwa  (Kon-ee-chee-wa) or Hello

I wanted to share some notes about the Asian Cultural Festival that took place a few weeks ago at Selby Botanical Gardens here in Sarasota.

Local Coffee + Tea sponsored Tea Ceremonies again this year on Saturday, February 27th.  Kim Pham, owner of the Kaleisia Tea Lounge in Tampa again presented 3 traditional ceremonies in the Great Room.  Also on display was a magnificent collection of Kimonos presented by the Manatee Sarasota Kimono Club.

The stage was set! And then it RAINED and rained all morning. It was so disappointing after all the excitement and preparations. However, the show goes on.

All the attractions that were due to take place outdoors were then moved to the same room. That meant I got to see the Japanese drummers, which was very energetic (and loud!). This was followed by a martial arts demonstration.

Our first ceremony was Gongfu Cha, the Chinese Tea Ceremony.  Kim talked during the ceremony guiding visitors through the relevance of each movement. For more details about the whole ceremony visit our post from last year. Everyone was intrigued and eager to taste samples that Kim offered.

Sampling after the Gongfu Chinese Tea Ceremony

Next was Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony which I was honored to take part in. If you have never seen this ceremony let alone take part in one, it is truly breathtaking.

Kim briefed me prior to commencing the ceremony as there is no conversation during the ceremoy. I bow, enter the set and kneel. It is customary to eat a sweet first which has been prepared for the guest.  Kim enters in a traditional kimono dress and prepares the tea in very quiet, small movements. This is such a meditative part of the ceremony and it was wonderful to be so still and in the moment despite the large room filled with people watching.  I drank the delicious matcha and Kim reversed all her movements before leaving the ceremony area. I then followed. Visitors had the opportunity to ask questions.  Again, more details from our blog post last year.

Chanoyu Japanese Tea Ceremony

Our last ceremony was Panyaro, the Korean Way of Tea. Kim was adorned in a truly beautiful pink and turquoise ceremonial dress. By this time the weather had improved, the sun came out and most of the visitors went out into the garden. The few remaining were enchanted, including 2 members of our audience that Kim included in the ceremony.

Panyaro Korean Way of Tea

I would like to thank all the visitors who came to celebrate with us at the ceremonies.

Despite the weather it was a lovely day and an experience I look forward to repeating next year.

Sayonara

The Tea Lady

This ceremony was not as rigid as the Japanese Tea Ceremony [Chanoyu] but more formal than the Chinese Tea Ceremony [Chongu Cha].  Kim was very passionate in her presentation of the Korean Way of  Tea or Panyaro, explaining tea is an important part of reclaiming the true heritage of the Koreans.

After the Japanese invaded Korea in 1910, many  traditions and aspects of Korean cultural were lost, systematically wiped out by the invaders.  Some writings survived in remote monasteries and from these historical relics Panyaro, the Korean Way of Tea has been revived.

As with the previous ceremonies, Kim’s costume was beautiful (see the photo below). she knelt for the ceremony and the four guests, myself included tried to remain in the same position. It proved more difficult for all of us!

Each movement was performed slowly and precisely. Kim returned her hands to her lap after each movement.  The tea items were covered with a cloth, red on one side representing the earth and blue on the other, representing the sky.

Hot water in a large teapot was poured into a bowl. The tea cups were each filled with hot water to warm them. Each time the bowl was lifted she used a small napkin to wipe the bamboo scoop before placing the tea into the teapot. The water was removed from the cups and each filled with a small amount of tea. Kim kept going back up the line again until each tea cup was filled.

Tea Lady and Kim Phram after the Korean Way of Tea

What a great day at Selby Gardens and a fantastic experience. So different from the English ritual of taking tea and yet in so many ways the same.  My thought was that regardless of how you take your tea, make it special every time and embrace the moment.  Local Coffee + Tea was a proud sponsor of all three Tea Ceremonies at the Asian Cultural Festival.