Tibetan tea drinking custom

Tibetan citizens have been drinking tea for 1000 years. Both herders and farmers like drinking tea. On the other hand, Tibetan monks drink more tea in larger quantities. Tibetans attach great importance to tea and consider it "auspicious". When you get up in the morning, the first thing is to drink tea. There are relatives at home who are not at home. Before leaving, family members must offer a cup of tea and wish their relatives a pleasant journey and a safe return. In stations, docks and waiting rooms in Tibetan-inhabited areas, we can often see grannies in skirts or grandfathers hiding shoes, always carrying thermos bottles filled with buttered tea on their shoulders or aluminum pots filled with sweet tea to bid farewell to their loved ones. Usually go to the hospital to visit the patient and bring a pot of butter tea as usual, the patient will feel great comfort.

If you visit a Tibetan family, of course, the host first respects butter tea. After the guests receive the buttered tea handed by the housewife, the housewife still needs to stand by with a teapot full of buttered tea, or take turns pouring tea in front of several guests, so that the guests' tea bowls are always full and the taste of tea is normal. Guests need to chew slowly and pay attention to silence. Before drinking, blow off the floating oil on the surface of the tea farm, drink it several times, avoid drinking it all at once, and leave half of the tea in the bowl until the housewife adds tea. Only after drinking three bowls of tea in succession can you leave. This is "good luck".

Young Tibetan men and women also regard tea drinking as a ritual activity to get together or find lovers, which is called "tea party". It is necessary for young Tibetan men and women to take a pot of butter tea with them when they go out for a picnic or go to the market. If they meet the "the only thrill" on the road, they will invite each other for tea. If it is agreed, young Tibetan men and women will get together, drink buttered tea and have fun. At this time, a man or woman on one side takes a fancy to the man and woman on the other side, and will take the opportunity of offering tea, take off the other side's hat unexpectedly and flee from the crowd with laughter. Those who are robbed will resolutely take back the form and pursue it until they are far away from the crowd. They will all stop "negotiations" in the same way. If both parties are interested, they will determine the time and address of the next meeting. If one party is not interested, take back the hat and go their separate ways.