About two billion people drink tea in the modern world.
However, not all tea drinkers know the origins of their favourite beverage.
In this article, we'll look at 5 of the most interesting:
- Legend #1 The oldest.
- Legend #2 The very first tea party.
- Legend #3 From India to China.
- Legend #4 Five years of uninterrupted meditation.
- Legend #5 Stay awake!
Legend #1 The oldest
According to the most ancient Chinese legend, the origin of tea dates back to the mythical times of the creation of Heaven and Earth, when Sun Sovereign Yan-di, the founder of medicine and agriculture, performed his great deeds. The legend is certainly beautiful, though it does not give any precise answer to the question ‘when?’.
Legend #2 The very first tea party.
Another legend is less poetic but more specific. According to this legend, the discoverer of the tea drink was the first emperor of South China, the philosopher Chen Nung, revered by the Chinese as the Son of Heaven, who ruled from 2737 to 2697 BC.
According to legend, one day while travelling, this great man decided to boil water for ablution. And it had to happen that while Chen Nung was waiting for the boiling water to be ready, a few leaves, plucked by the wind from a nearby tree, fell into the vat. After a few minutes, the water in the vat began to emit a marvellous aroma, which the enchanted emperor inhaled and decided to taste the decoction. This event was the first tea party in history.
Well, we can only marvel at the unpretentiousness of the ancient lord. After all, if Chen Nung did not boil the water himself, but ordered his servants to do it, they, most likely, would have taken out the leaves that had fallen into the water, and you would have thrown them away. The world would have learnt about tea a thousand years later, or even not at all.
Legend #3 From India to China.
There is another Chinese legend that claims that the tradition of tea drinking originated… in India, somewhere in the hills of Assam province. The legend claims that during the Han Dynasty (25-221 AD), a Chinese ruler sent a scholar named Gan Lu to India to study Buddhism. When Gan Lu returned to his homeland, he brought back tea tree seeds along with his well-learned knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings. It is said that by sowing these seeds, Gan Lu initiated the cultivation of tea in the Celestial Empire.
Legend #4 Five years of uninterrupted meditation.
Indian Buddhists, on the other hand, claim that the fame of the discoverer of tea belongs to Prince Siddarha Gautama (Buddha) himself. According to this version, the Buddha travelled to China, where he intended to spend nine years in uninterrupted meditation. Unfortunately, in the fifth year of his vow, the inevitable happened: the Buddha began to experience overwhelming sleepiness. Perhaps Prince Siddarha would have snored under a bush somewhere if he had not come across some leaves, which he picked up, put in his mouth and began to chew. Of course, it was tea-tree leaves, after consuming which the Buddha miraculously felt a surge of vigour and regained the ability to watch and contemplate.
Legend #5 Stay awake!
Japan has its own version of the origin of tea. However, the roots of this story are still the same – Indian-Chinese. So, the Japanese claim that the founder of Chan Buddhism, the great Bodhidharma, nicknamed Daruma in Japan, became the creator of the tea plant. One day this honourable man, imitating the Buddha, decided to meditate continuously. Of course, he soon encountered the same problem – sleepiness. Then, despairing, Daruma grabbed a knife and cut off his eyelids so that his eyes would always remain open. From the eyelids that were thrown to the ground grew bushes, from which Daruma’s followers collected leaves and prepared a delicious and fragrant drink to help him stay awake during long meditations.
Good legend, but the trouble is that it is known about Daruma that he lived in the late 4th – early 5th century AD, and the tea plant appeared much earlier. Consequently, despite all his virtues, Daruma could not be involved in the emergence of tea, although it is possible that he still had something to do with the penetration of tea in Japan.
Undoubtedly, each of these versions is good and entertaining in its own way. However, as tea spread in the world, its origin became a matter of serious interest to scientists.
