Ⅰ.Tea Ceremony of Life
In the five important ceremonies,“general ceremony”,“capping ceremony”,“wedding”,“funeral”and“sacrificial rites”of the ancients, tea played a significant role.The life of a person is both long and short.There are things worth recording and cherishing in different ways in different stages of life.With the integration of rich and colorful cultures of ethnic minorities, Pu’er tea shows different etiquette, which impressed them as an important moment of life.
Fig.4-18 Pu’er tea and tea ceremony of life
(I)Birth Ceremony
A tea ceremony is also reflected in the birth ceremony.In ancient China, it is a deeprooted concept for people to give birth to children and carry on the family line.In folk, the“birth ceremony”of a baby is regarded as an essential thing.And a lot of related ceremonies were formed accordingly, reflecting the Chinese people’s attention and care for new life.From a baby’s birth to his first birthday, the ceremony activities are frequent and diverse.The time and forms of the ceremonies are different among different ethnic minorities.Many ethnic minorities regard tea as a presentation of the ceremony to bring blessings to new life.
De’ang people: In ceremonies of a life cycle, after a child of De’ang is born, his parents would present a combination of tea and tobacco and invite a prestigious old man in the village to name the child.
Bai people: Bai people pay attention to etiquette.One month after the birth of a child, they would hold a“one-month-old ceremony.”Friends and relatives who come for congratulations will present rice, tea, wine, and sugar, wishing the child a happy life in the future.The host will entertain the guests with a cup of green tea.In addition, if a boy is born, a torch would be erected at home and the guests would be invited to drink sweet tea and eat fried beans.
纳西族：在小孩出生后一百天，纳西族会请“祝米客”，前来祝贺的人也要送来茶叶等物祝福孩子。
哈尼族：会专门为出生的孩子举行一种具有祝福性质的活动——贺生礼（有的地区称“门生礼”）。贺生礼上会泡一杯清茶加冰糖让孩子浅尝三口后，把孩子抱到门外见天地及万物，由摩匹（哈尼语音译，又记作“斯匹”“刹匹”等，旧时哈尼族社会中负责主持各种原始宗教活动的祭师）为孩子唱祝福歌。
傈僳族：茶叶是傈僳族生活中不可缺少的物品，傈僳族小孩出生后，亲朋好友都会前来祝贺，主人就会在火塘边取出小土罐烤茶，制作油盐茶接待宾客，以表谢意。
（二）成人茶礼
成年也是人生中的一个重要阶段，德昂族十四五岁的少男少女会收到“首冒”（男青年首领）、“首南”（女青年首领）送的一小包茶叶，作为他们进入成年的标志和象征，这茶就是成年礼茶。古时的纳西族少年到13岁时要举行成人礼，他们举行过相应仪式后从此可以喝茶饮酒，进行社交活动。现居住在丽江宁蒗彝族自治县的纳西族摩梭人还保存着成人礼的仪式。
（三）婚嫁礼仪
茶用于婚礼及与婚礼有关的一系列民俗活动，不仅是中国茶文化的重要组成部分，也是中华民俗文化的特殊现象。茶文化渗透在各族人民的婚俗中，并逐渐形成形形色色且具有象征意义的茶礼茶仪。
1.恋爱茶
哈尼族男女青年在谈情说爱时亦用茶叶来传情。一个小伙子爱上了一个姑娘，就会摘7片茶叶，用一种叫帕别帕洛的灌木叶包好后，用一根线拴住，找机会送给姑娘，姑娘接到此物后就知道了小伙子的用意。如果姑娘有意与小伙子建立爱恋关系，就会解开线当面把茶叶吃下去；如果她不愿意，则会用力把线拉断转过身去，用左手递还给小伙子。姑娘吃下茶叶后就要跑开，小伙子则回到家邀请寨中有影响的长者陪他到姑娘家求婚。去求婚时需要带上一些礼品，礼品中绝少不了茶叶。当晚，姑娘要给自家的父母及求婚者烧水泡茶和煮饭烧菜，一切费用由男方承担。另外，德昂族青年男女若是情投意合时，也会互送一包茶叶私订终身，这茶就叫定情茶。
Naxi people: One hundred days after the birth of a child, Naxi people would hold a“Zhu Mi Ke”ceremony, and those who come to congratulate would also present tea and other things to bless the child.
Hani people: A blessing activity-birth ceremony (in some areas, it’s called“Mensheng ceremony”)will be held for a newborn child.A cup of green tea and rock candy will be brewed at the birth ceremony for the child to taste for three sips.After that, the child would be held outside to see the heavens, the earth, and all things.Then Mopi (transliteration of Hani language, also known as“Sipi”and“Shapi,”etc., was the priest in charge of various activities of primitive religion in the Hani society in old times)would sing blessing songs for the child.
Lisu people: Tea is an indispensable substance in the life Lisu people.After a Lisu child is born, relatives and friends would come to congratulate them.The host would take out a small earthen pot of baked tea by the fire pit and make baked oil-salt boiling tea to entertain guests as a token of gratitude.
(II)Tea Ceremony of Coming-of-age
Coming of age is also an important stage in life.De’ang boys and girls aged 14 or 15 will receive a small packet of tea from“Shoumao”(male youth leader)and“Shounan”(female youth leader)as a sign and symbol of their coming of age.This tea is the gift tea of the coming-of-age ceremony.In ancient times, Naxi teenagers held a coming-of-age ceremony when they were 13 years old.After the ceremony, they could drink tea and have social activities.The Mosuo people of Naxi, who now live in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County of Lijiang, still keep the rite of a comingof-age ceremony.
(III)Wedding Ceremony
Tea used for weddings and a series of folk activities related to weddings is not only an essential part of Chinese tea culture but also a unique phenomenon of Chinese folk culture.Tea culture permeates the marriage customs of different ethnic groups and gradually forms all kinds of symbolic tea ceremonies.
1.Tea of love
The youth of Hani also express their love with tea.When a young man falls in love with a girl, he would pick seven tea leaves, wrap them in a bush leaf called Pabiepaluo, tie them with a thread, and give them to the girl at the right moment.After receiving this, the girl would know the young man’s intention.If the girl is willing to establish a romantic relationship with the young man, she would untie the thread and eat the tea facing him; If she refuses, she would break the thread, turn back to the young man and return it to him with her left hand.The girls who accepted the love would run away after eating the tea leaves.And the young man would go home and ask the influential elders in the village to accompany him to propose to the girl at her home with some gifts, including tea.That evening, the girl would brew tea and cook for her parents and suitors, with all expenses borne by the young man.In addition, young men and women of the De’ang would also give each other a packet of tea for a pledge if they have an affinity for each other.This tea is called“pledge tea”.
2.定亲茶礼
布朗族青年男女相好并经双方父母同意后，男方父母要请一位老人为媒，携带酸茶与盐巴等去女方家定亲。女方父母接礼后，把酸茶叶、盐巴等分成若干包，分送给本族和本寨的亲友，算是通知大家，自己的女儿已订婚。云南丽江纳西族男女定亲礼物一般是酒一坛、茶两筒、糖四至六盒、米两升、盐两筒，茶与盐表示“山盟海誓”之意。
独龙族进行订婚“下茶”，提亲时小伙子会请能说会道的男子去女方家说婚。说婚人去时都要提上一个茶壶，背囊中背上茶叶、香烟和茶缸，到姑娘家先在茶缸中泡好茶，再倒入姑娘家的碗中，按顺序敬给姑娘的家人们，最后给姑娘自己。只有等姑娘父母将茶一饮而尽了，姑娘和其他人也将茶喝了，这门亲事才算成了。而白族民间男女订婚要下聘礼，俗称“四色水礼”，即红糖、香茶、大米、酒。新郎进屋后，先向岳父、岳母敬礼，然后在堂屋等候，由女方的陪娘先敬新郎蜂蜜茶，再敬用松子和葵花子拼成一对蝴蝶泡在红糖水里的蝴蝶茶，祝贺新婚夫妇白头偕老、恩恩爱爱。
3.结婚茶礼
“茶不移本，植必生子。”以茶行聘，婚姻美满幸福。布朗族男女订婚都要以茶为礼，茶礼成为男女之间确立婚姻关系的重要形式。云南楚雄彝族在结婚当天，女儿出嫁时需向亲友敬茶，第二次由新郎敬茶，最后新郎新娘给迎、送亲者敬茶。白族青年结婚时，新郎把新娘接到家中，新娘要先后给长辈献上苦茶、甜茶，蕴含人生苦尽甘来的意味。新郎、新娘进洞房后，人们给他们献上意为先苦后甜的苦茶和甜茶。结婚当天，新郎、新娘家都会设置专门的茶房，用来接待宾客，安排专人烧水、泡茶、倒茶、敬茶给客人。第三天，新郎、新娘双双到堂前三拜祖宗及父母，向亲戚长辈敬茶敬酒。
茶在拉祜族社会生活中起着极其重要的作用，在他们的整个婚嫁过程中茶都是不可或缺的。云南永德县拉祜族举办婚礼时，媒人要为新郎新娘配茶。婚礼开始前，媒人要先泡好茶，然后左右手各持一杯茶，双手架成“×”形，将右手茶水喂给跪于左方的新郎，将左手茶水喂给右方的新娘。新郎新娘喝过媒人配好的茶，接受媒人的祝福后，方才站起来，接待宾客。用炒熟的芝麻和蜂蜜泡茶招待宾客，蜂蜜芝麻茶寓意未来家庭生活如蜂蜜般甜美。
在保山永昌一带的傈僳族举行婚礼过程中，新郎把新娘接到夫家时，还有喝红糖油茶的习俗。喝红糖油茶时先要喝一杯味道很浓的罐罐烤茶，再喝红糖油茶，以祝贺新人先苦后甜、同甘共苦。
2.Tea Ceremony of Engagement
After the young men and women of Bulang fall in love with each other and obtain both parents’consent, young man’s parents should invite an old man (matchmaker)to arrange the engagement with sour tea and salt at her home.After the young woman’s parents received the gift,they would divide the sour tea and salt into several bags and send them to their relatives and friends in the village to inform everyone that their daughter was engaged.The engagement gifts of the Naxi people in Lijiang, Yunnan are one altar of wine, two cans of tea, four to six boxes of sugar,two liters of rice, and two cans of salt.Tea and salt mean“promises.”
Dulong people arrange engagement with tea.To propose, the young man would ask a buttertonsil man to go to the young women’s home.The matchmaker would hold a teapot, carrying tea,cigarette, and jar in his backpack.After arrival, he would first brew tea in the tea jar, pour it into the bowls of the girl’s family members, and serve the tea to the girl’s family members in order, and finally to the girl.Only if the girl’s parents drink the tea in one gulp, and the girl and others drink the tea the engagement is successful.While, the concentration of Bai men and women requires betrothal gifts, commonly known as“four-color water gifts,”namely brown sugar, fragrant tea,rice, and wine.After entering the house, the groom should salute his father-in-law and mother-inlaw and then wait in the central room.The bridesmaid would first offer honey tea to the groom,then the blooming tea made of a pair of butterflies made of pine nuts and sunflower seeds soaked in brown sugar water, to congratulate the newlyweds on living to old age in marital bliss.
3.Tea Ceremony of Wedding
“The tea tree cannot be transplanted, and it must be planted from seed.”So tea is used for engagement for a happy marriage.Tea gift is required for the engagement of Bulang men and women.It has become an important form of establishing marriage relationships between men and women.On the wedding day of the Yi people in Chuxiong, Yunnan, when a young woman gets married, first she needs to offer tea to her relatives and friends.Then, the groom should offer tea.Finally, both the bride and the groom should offer tea to those who welcome the bride and those who accompany the bride to the groom’s family on the wedding day.When the youth of Bai gets married, after the groom takes the bride home, and the bride should offer bitter tea and sweet tea to the elders, which means that life is sweet after bitter (happiness comes after suffering).After the bride and the groom enter the bridal chamber, they are offered bitter tea and sweet tea, which means happiness comes after suffering.On the wedding day, the bride and groom would set up a special tea room to receive guests, and arrange a special person to boil water, brew tea, and serve tea to guests.On the third day, both the bride and the groom would go to the hall to bow to their ancestors and parents three times and offer tea and toast to their relatives and elders.
Tea plays an extremely important role in the social life of the Lahu people.It is indispensable in their whole marriage process.When the Lahu people in Yongde County, Yunnan Province held a wedding, the matchmaker would match tea for the bride and groom.Before the wedding, the matchmaker would first brew the tea, then hold a cup of tea in each hand, and put his hands in an“X”shape.He should feed the tea in his right hand to the groom kneeling on the left, and tea in his left hand to the bride on the right.The bride and the groom may stand up and receive the guests after they drink the tea provided by the matchmaker and accept the blessing of the matchmaker.They treat guests with fried sesame and honey tea, which means that future family life would be as sweet as honey.
（四）丧葬茶礼
中国许多少数民族在举行丧葬仪式中要用到茶。丧葬仪式中的茶文化有多种表现形式，具有多种象征意义及文化内涵。如白族的老人如果不是自然去世，而是意外死亡，要趁死者身体尚未僵硬时，在其口中放入米粒、茶叶和少许碎银，表示死者在阴间仍然衣食富足。办丧事期间，要给夜间守灵的人喝姜茶，用以驱寒、提神。在纳西族丧葬习俗中，老人去世的第二天五更鸡叫时，要用茶和鸡肉稀饭祭祀死者亡灵。祭拜用的茶和鸡肉稀饭有着请已去世的人起来喝茶、吃完早餐好上路之意，这种“鸡鸣祭”的礼节，表达了晚辈对死者的深深怀念之情。办丧事期间，守灵的亲戚朋友和白族一样要喝姜茶，以驱寒、增加阳气。
傈僳族老人正常去世后，同村寨的亲朋好友都会前来帮忙办理丧事，吊唁老人。此时，主人家会安排专人烤浓茶，请村里前来帮忙的朋友喝浓茶汤。浓茶汤味道苦涩，一来解热避暑，二来喝苦涩的茶汤能够表达对逝去亲人的哀伤、怀念之情。