二、祭祀茶礼

图4-19　普洱茶与祭祀茶礼

普洱茶作为礼仪互动中的重要媒介，促进了各民族间个体的交流和融洽度，在生者和死者之间充当了情感传递符号。这也使得普洱茶通过不同形式的茶礼向外传播，为大家认识普洱茶发挥了重要作用。少数民族在不同礼节上用茶，寓意也各有差异。祭祀礼中通过各种形式来展现自己对神灵或祖先的尊敬或带去美好的祝愿。布朗族的祭祀茶礼极为丰富，有祭佛、祭土神、祭山神、祭祖、祭茶祖，在他们的这些祭祀活动中茶叶都是必不可少的。德昂族虔诚信奉上座部佛教，每逢宗教节日，男女老少都要听佛念经，在奘房里提供的供品多为茶叶、大米、核桃等，他们认为这些都是辛辛苦苦用血汗换来的，供给佛祖以示自己的一片虔诚。

During the wedding of the Lisu people in Yongchang, Baoshan, there is also the custom of drinking oil-fried tea with brown sugar after the groom takes the bride home.Before drinking the oil-fried tea with brown sugar, it is required to drink a cup of baked tea with a strong taste to congratulate the newcomers on happiness coming after suffering and sharing happiness and woe.

(IV)Tea Ceremony of Funeral

Tea is also used in funerals of many ethnic minorities in China.The tea culture in funeral ceremonies has many forms, symbolic meanings and cultural connotations.For example, if an older Bai people die unexpectedly instead of naturally, rice grains, tea leaves and some broken silver should be put in their mouths before their bodies get stiff, indicating that the deceased would still be well fed and clothed in the underworld.During the funeral, people who stand as guards at the bier would drink ginger tea to keep out the cold and refresh themselves.In the funeral custom of the Naxi people, when the cock crows before dawn the day after the death of an old man, tea and chicken porridge should be used to sacrifice to the dead.The tea and chicken porridge used for worship has the meaning of inviting the deceased to get up for tea and set off his journey after breakfast.This etiquette of“offering at cock crowing”expresses the deep nostalgia of the younger generations for the deceased.During the funeral, the same Bai people, the relatives and friends who stand as guards at the bier also drink ginger tea to keep out the cold and increase positive spirit.

After an old Lisu people dies normally, relatives and friends from the same village would come to help with the funeral and mourn the deceased.At this time, the host family will arrange for someone to bake strong tea, and invite the friends who come to help in the village to drink strong tea soup.The strong tea soup tastes bitter.First, it can relieve and beat the heat.Second, drinking bitter tea soup expresses sadness and nostalgia for the deceased relatives.