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Home > MyungWon Tea Culture >
Traditional Tea Ceremony |
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Although there existed Korean unique tea, Paksancha (white
mountain tea) in the pre-historic period, the ‘green’ tea was
traced to the kingdom of Gaya. According to the Memorabilia of
the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa) and the National Chronicle of
the Gaya Kingdom (Garak Gukgi), the Queen-to-be Heo Hwang Ok of
Ayodhi landed on the shore of Gaya in AD 48 for marriage to the
founding king of the Gaya Kingdom, King Kim Suro. Among many
treasures the Queen-to-be brought seeds of tea plants and people
planted the seeds in the hills of the mountain Pakwul in Gimhae.
Even today one can easily find villages and mountain valleys
named after ‘Tea’ in Gimhae. There are vast tea trees in the
mountain valley, Kum Kangji, known in the early days as Da
Jeonli (Tea fields) in east of Gimhae.
The people of Gaya are known to pay tribute to the ancestors
with offerings which included tea, rice wine, and fruit. This
ceremony was called ‘Tea Ceremony’, ChaRye (茶禮). The practice of
Cha Rye continues today, where family members gather together to
pay tributes to the ancestors..
The kingdom of Gaya which was located west of the Nakdong River,
bordering the South Sea of Korea, was known for active trade
routes, and there are many artifacts demonstrating advanced
economic and cultural development, including the pottery
techniques. These advanced development are believed to have
contributed to development of tea culture in that region.
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