What are the legends regarding the origin of tea?
Answers
Shen Nung was boiling water when few leaves from branches being used as firewood fell into a vessel and gave a unique flavour to the water. Those were tea leaves ! Another, Chinese legend puts the discovery of tea around 300 – 221 B.C. A herbalist of that period, with knowledge of 84,000 medicinal herbs, could teach his son about only 62,000 of these before he died. Knowledge of the remaining 22,000 plants was almost lost, but wonder of wonders, a plant that contained in itself the virtues of these 22,000 plants grew upon his grave. This plant as the legend goes – was Tea.
Japanese mythology ascribes tea’s origin to an Indian ascetic called Bodhidharma or Daruma as he is known in Japan.
Founder of the Dhyan (Meditation) or Zensect of Buddhism, Daruma once fell asleep during meditation. Being angered by his failure he tore off his Eyelids, and to his surprise, a strange tea plant with unique characteristics grew from his Eyelids – this plant killed sleep – it was Tea !
Legends are legends, these apart all evidence show that of Tea drinking existed in China in 6 B.C. basically as medicine.
The first commercial cultivation was in China and thereafter since the early ages the Chinese, through far reaching changes in their cultivation pattern, brought about a transformation in the brew. This caught the fancy of the rest of the world.
With the passage of time other neighbours of China such as Japan, South East Asian Countries, Mongolia, Tibet etc. picked up the tea drinking habit. Overland routes carried the knowledge of tea to the Middle East. The Western Nations become acquainted with the brew only in the 17th Century as European merchants through the oceanic routes carried tea, thus putting it on the world map.
Answer:
There are several legends that have described the origin and discovery of tea. According to one story, tea was initially discovered in China. The Chinese legend stated that the Emperor used to only drink boiled water. Once, when water was being boiled, some leaves of a plant that was growing near the pot fell into it. After drinking this water, the Emperor found the flavor very delicious. These leaves were named as tea leaves and thus the process of tea making was originated.
According to the Indian legend, a Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, fell asleep during meditation. Therefore, he cut off his eyelids.after sometime some tea plants then grew out of his eyelids, which when added to boiling water, drove away any traces of sleep and made the person fresh. Thus, tea was discovered.