One of the girls from church, Kayo, studied Tea Ceremony for a while and was willing to demonstrate it for the college students, as well as provide the kimonos and tea utensils.
As with many things in Japan, there is a lot of structure in Tea Ceremony. There are certain things to say, certain times to say them and certain movements to make.
It is almost like a dance or art form. Other art forms are also have a kata, or form: martial arts, flower arranging, calligraphy.
Unfortunately, some of this thinking is also in the Japanese churches. people have a mindset that "This is how church is done." This explains a lot of the ritualism in the churches. While there is nothing wrong with tradition and ritual, it is a problem when it becomes more important than following the leading of God.
1 comment:
I was told that the tea ceremony is actually Christian in origin. After the persecution of Christians in the 16th century, they used the tea ceremony for communion since they couldn't openly use bread or wine. I read this somewhere, too. I am not sure of it's accuracy though.
Post a Comment