2023 Authentic Traditonal Japanese Tea Ceremony, Lacey Branch | Ocean County LibraryNEW

Take Part in Authentic Japanese Tea Ceremonies at The Ocean County Library.
Be part of a time-honored ritual, deeply rooted in Japanese life. Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a Japanese Tea Ceremony during the month of May at four Ocean County Library branches.

Saturday, May 6, 2 PM
Lacey Branch - 10 East Lacey Road, (609) 693-8566. 

Thursday, May 18, 2 PM
Manchester Branch - 21 Colonial Drive, (732) 657-7600. 

Saturday, May 20, 2 PM
Point Pleasant Borough Branch - 834 Beaver Dam Road, (732) 295-1555. 

Thursday, May 25, 2 PM
Jackson Branch - 2 Jackson Drive, (732) 928-4400. 

More Details

At the conclusion, four members of the audience will be invited to sit as guests in the ceremony, partaking in bowls of Japanese powdered green tea known as matcha. All attendees will be invited to sample cups of tea and traditional confections.

Dr. Drew Hanson, owner of Boukakuan Japanese Tea House and Garden, Columbus, New Jersey, and Brandon Forsht will illustrate the ritual’s evolution through 450 years. The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia notes that Dr. Hanson is a licensed teacher of the art, and has studied since 1995.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony began as a symbol of elegance, developed into a spiritually rejuvenating rite, and is a core component in the nation’s culture.

Please register at www.theoceancountylibrary.org/eents for this free program. For more information, visit or call any participating branch, or call (732) 349-6200.

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What is Japanese Tea Ceremony
The traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony infuses elements of Zen Buddhism into a social context. A bowl of tea is prepared by a host for a guest and shared in the spirit of peacefulness and harmony.

A discipline nourished and refined by the Japanese since the fifteenth century, the Japanese Tea Ceremony is based on the simple act of heating water, making tea, and offering it to others. Served respectfully with a pure and open heart and received with gratitude, a bowl of tea satisfies both a physical and spiritual thirst.

Harmony (Wa), Respect (Kei), Purity (Sei), and Tranquility (Jaku) are principles fundamental to Zen Buddhism. Practitioners of tea work to integrate these concepts into their practice and their daily lives as well.

History
Tea, at first, was drunk as both a medicine and a beverage and is now the most popular beverage in the world, second only to water.

Originally, tea came from the mountains of Southeast Asia and became widely enjoyed in China between the seventh and tenth centuries. There, shavings from a brick of pressed, fermented, and roasted tea leaves were mixed with flavorings such as ginger or salt and hot water and drunk. Although tea was introduced into Japan during this same time, its use was confined to Buddhist monasteries and the upper levels of the aristocracy.

Sometime in the twelfth century, the Chinese discovered that tea leaves did not have to be roasted and fermented to make tea. They found that green tea leaves could be steamed, dried, aged for about six months, and then ground into a fine powder. The powder could then be whisked together with hot water to make an equally good beverage, but it was green instead of black.

This powdered green tea, known as matcha, was brought to Japan from China in the thirteenth century, and though still expensive, its use soon became part of everyday life in Buddhist monasteries, and over time, court nobles and the samurai warrior class enjoyed this unique beverage as well.