Many believe that the Mid-Autumn Festival nowadays lacks poetic charm, as if the dust of the city has obscured the moonlight. Yet we need to realize that only with tea can we better cleanse our minds and eyes. Sipping tea while admiring the moon is the most poetic and romantic way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Three Reasons to Drink Tea During the Mid-Autumn Festival
Cultural Reason: Tea drinking is a spiritual practice
In people's minds, the Mid-Autumn moon is elegant. In this sense, nothing is more fitting to accompany the moon than tea. Drinking tea is the most refined activity of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Only tea can transcend and detach from the mundane world. The classic Tang dynasty tea song goes: "First bowl moistens my throat; Second bowl breaks my loneliness; Third bowl searches my withered entrails, finding only five thousand scrolls of words; Fourth bowl brings a light sweat, and all life's inequalities dissipate through my pores; Fifth bowl purifies my bones and muscles; Sixth bowl lets me commune with immortals; Seventh bowl is beyond drinking — I feel only a cool breeze rising under my armpits." It is said that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the ancients would hum this song while admiring the moon. After drinking tea, they felt light as immortals, worthy of comparison to Chang'e in the Moon Palace.
Practical Reason: Tea never becomes cloying
During holidays, people nowadays often feel they have eaten too much greasy food. But tea is different — like a lover forever in the throes of romance, it has a refreshing taste and carries charm and poetry. It remains an enduring favorite, never tiresome.
In the pale moonlight, there is a faint fragrance of tea. On Mid-Autumn night, mooncakes alone lack excitement; tea, joining in at the right moment, brings comfort.
Health Reason: Mooncakes wear a long gown, tea dons a Tang suit
A long gown is very effective against the cold, and since ancient times, people have kept one for social occasions. Similarly, mooncakes have long been considered a nourishing food for health. But today, the high-calorie, high-fat, high-cholesterol "three highs" dietary structure has already overburdened people. Nutritionists also say that a single Cantonese-style mooncake can contain up to 850 calories, equivalent to three bowls of rice. They advise that excessive consumption of these heavy, sweet mooncakes can burden the spleen and stomach... The traditional heavy, sweet mooncake, like a long gown, now seems somewhat out of place.
For health-conscious modern people, tea is always the most welcome Tang suit, giving beautiful hope and encouragement. Tea has rich connotations and a value that defies ordinary estimation — tea can be priceless. Under the moonlight, tea appears so elegant!