The Tea Kettle
by Warwick Goble, 1910
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The History
of Tea
Legend has it that tea was discovered in China in 2737 BC by the Emperor Shen Nung, when the leaves of a wild tea bush accidentally fell into a pot of boiling water. By the time of the Tang Dynasty tea had become China’s national drink.
Tea was first brought to Portugal and Holland by missionaries and sailors returning from China. By the early 17th century, as China slowly opened up to trade with the outside world, regular cargoes of tea began to arrive in Europe and eventually Britain.
At first, only royalty could afford to drink tea, then the nobility acquired a taste for it. Servants were introduced to tea by drinking the ’dregs’ – using leaves left over from their masters’ brew.
The first record of tea trading with Chinese merchants is dated 1644.
Tea became popular in refined British society during the reign of King Charles II, when his Portuguese wife, Catherine Braganza, introduced tea to the Court
Tea was first planted in Africa in 1687 but did not spread to East and Central Africa until the end of the 19th century. Today Africa is one of the world’s largest producers of tea.
It is believed that tea was first brought to the colony of New Amsterdam (which later became New York) by the Dutch around the middle of the 17th century.
Boston, Massachusetts is also the site of the famed Tea Party in 1773, when angry colonists took a stand on English–imparted tea taxes.
Iced tea debuted in 1904 at the Louisiana State Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo. The temperature was soaring and the staff in the Far East Tea House couldn’t get any fair–goers to even look their way, let alone sample their tea. So they poured the hot tea over ice cubes and the drink quickly became the exposition’s most popular beverage.
STORIES
The Accomplished and Lucky Tea-Kettle - Japan
The Ancestor of Tea – Chinese Folktale
http://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales/online.asp?story=67
The Samurai and the Tea Master – Japan * You can
listen to the audio or read the story at this link.
The Tea-Kettle – Japan
POEM
A
Cup of Christmas Tea by Thomas Hegg
– This is an original poem so copyright is in effect. Please contact Mr. Hegg
for permission to tell this poem.
Chinese Tea Stories
Learning to Act - Indiahttp://www.pitara.com/talespin/folktales/online.asp?story=67
http://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Japanese_folktale_32.html
Verdant Tea – Legends associated with tea.
http://verdanttea.com/category/legends/
http://verdanttea.com/category/legends/
Story-Lovers.com
http://www.story-lovers.com/liststeapoems.html
From the great Irish Storyteller Eamon Kelly: The Tea Man
http://www.story-lovers.com/liststeapoems.html
From the great Irish Storyteller Eamon Kelly: The Tea Man
POEM
BACKGROUND ON SOME TEA LEGENDS
CRAFTS
Dà
Hóng Páo – Great Red Robe oolong teahttp://www.tealegends.com/da-hong-pao-great-red-robe-oolong/
In Pursuit of Tea: The Legend of Tieguanyin and The Legend of Bodhidharma
http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/category_s/34.htm
http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/category_s/34.htm
I’m a Little Teapothttp://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/grandparents/mteapot.html
Salt Dough Tea Set
Tea Party Puppets
Tea Party Puppets
CHILDREN'S RHYME
I'm a little teapot,
Short and stout,
Here is my handle (one hand on hip),
Here is my spout (other arm out with elbow and wrist bent).
When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout,
Tip me over and pour me out! (lean over toward spout)
Short and stout,
Here is my handle (one hand on hip),
Here is my spout (other arm out with elbow and wrist bent).
When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout,
Tip me over and pour me out! (lean over toward spout)
Karen Chace 2013 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled
by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either
electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written
permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you
wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or
Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and
personal integrity.
3 comments:
Cute!
Jai
Thanks Jai. :)
Karen
Great post, thanks for sharing! Tea and stories are good friends of mine.
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