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Overview
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The Okian tea gathering is an informal gathering, as opposed to the much
more formal and structured tea ceremony. The gathering can be for
any purpose, although generally, tea gatherings are held ostensibly for
meditative reasons. As they are informal, they can be used for a variety
of social purposes, provided that some discretion and initial restraint is
exercised.
As the tradition originated on Okia, usually only Okians are invited to tea
gatherings. Nothing prevents outsiders from being invited, but given the
closed nature of Okia society, this very rarely happens in Okia. A
non-Okian being invited is a high mark of honor, and is sometimes
considered a vouchsafing of very high magnitude.
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Preparation
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Clearly, the first order of business is to establish who is the host.
Multiple people may undertake this responsibility by either sharing or
dividing the duties. The host's responsibilities are straightforward.
First is to issue invitations in a timely manner: clearly, one's guests
should receive their invitations well in advance of a gathering, thereby
avoiding the impression that one is being invited merely to provide a more
harmonious number of guests. Next is to preparing the setting (clearing an
outside area of debris or cleaning an interior location) and securing the
necessary supplies (clean teacups, tea pot, hot water, etc). During the
course of the gathering, the host must be attentive to the mood of the
guests and to their conversation. Should conversation lag, it falls to the
host to carry the conversation. If the guests have collectively fallen
into a reflective atmosphere, it behooves the host to allow such meditation
to continue undisturbed. Naturally, it is difficult to determine when such
meditation has run its course, and a skilled host will re-commence
conversation at the appropriate time.
If the host wishes to serve light refreshments, it is preferable to keep
the food served at a light fare and preferably without strong flavors, so
as to not wildly contrast with the experience of the tea.
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Setting
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The setting can be either indoors or outdoors. If the weather is
inclement, clearly this is an impediment to a period of reflective
contemplation. Sensory accoutrements may be added to the setting, but they
should be understated. Tatami mats should be placed on the ground without
gaps. Incense may be burned in advance, but care should be given that the
smoke is not overpowering. Likewise, flowers may be gathered and arranged
in a vase, but the arrangements can easily be a single flower or a single
branch. Wind chimes may be hung, given appropriate weather conditions.
Given that tea gatherings are a time of reflection, the host should place
some element in the centre as a focus for conversation and meditation.
This could be one of the sensory decorations or something entirely
different and possibly much more complex. A scroll can be admired both for
the artwork of the calligraphy in addition to the content of the poetry. An
incense bowl can be critiqued for its craftsmanship in addition to
supplying a thin stream of pleasing smoke.
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Beginning
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The beginning of the tea gathering is ritualized: it is a way to formally
leave the burdens of the world behind us so as to achieve a better state of
inner harmony. The words, gestures, and movements used vary from the
different regions of Okia. However, the overall structure is the same.
First, the greets gather together before the appointed time. Were a tea
house in a garden being used as the site of the tea gathering, the guests
would congregate at the edge of the garden. For interior locations, the
guests would congregate outside the building; for exterior locations, they
would assemble a discreet interval to the side. Note that there is no
particular ordering of the guests, but the guests may wish to impose one on
themselves, deferring certain privileges (who leads the guests, who enters
first, who seats themselves first) for those held in higher esteem. This
is an excellent opportunity for a trained observer to determine the
relative social positions of the guests.
At the time appointed by the host, the guests then move to the location of
the gathering, whereupon the host greets them by bowing to them; the guests
return the greeting in the same manner. The host then invites his guests
inside (or to come forth, in the case of exterior gatherings).
Unlike the tea ceremony, there is no ritual cleansing.
The guests then seat themselves; the host seats himself last. Another case
of Okiman social clarification can occur with seating: the host may
politely insist that a personnage of great esteem take the best seat, who
may accept the honor, or may decline, thereby conferring a measure of honor
to the host. At first, people should sit in seiza if possible.
The host then seats himself last. From seiza, he then bows to his guests,
who return the greeting. The host may then use a particular phrasing to
formally commence the gathering. "Let us find harmony in tea" is a common
phrase.
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Details
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The guests have a small responsibility to pay attention to the effort the
host has gone to in setting up the gathering. In turn, the host should
prepare tea with a certain grace. While flourish and flash is not entirely
unheard of, it is much more common (and approved of) to prepare tea in a
serene manner. Understated dignity is the usual goal. The host should
place all the utensils near him, such that he can reach them all without
moving from his seated position. Also, expect for possibly the presence of
boiling water in a kettle, the actual preparation of tea should occur in
the presence of one's guests.
As the tea gathering is an informal affair, the discussion of mundane
topics (trade, business, politics) is allowed. However, it is considered
polite to not immediately bring such subjects up at the beginning of the
gathering, and instead to wait a polite interval before broaching such
subjects.
As mentioned before, part of the host's duties is to pay attention to the
conversation, filling in awkward lulls without dominating the
conversation. Of course, should a meditative mode descend on the
gathering, the host must be sensitive to this.
The topic of conversation in a tea gathering is nominally about harmony.
The simplicity of making and drinking tea is such a stark contrast to the
often busied life one leads that sometimes one can find a form of
enlightenment in the contrast and comparison. Such a pursuit of thought
is the life work of many monks.
Comfort of the guests is of high importance, so it is certainly acceptable
for the guests to shift in their seated positions. The host should pay
attention to the placement of objects in the gathering, so that everything
is within easy reach of the guests, be it works of art or trays of food.
It is usually considered much more preferable that the host stand to
retrieve an object rather than a guest, although there are no particular
rules against a guest standing before the end of the gathering.
The host may wish to serve light refreshment over the course of the
gathering, and indeed, such refreshment may serve as the focal point of the
gathering: cheeses from around the Old World.
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Ending
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Just as the gathering has a ritualized beginning, so the ending is also
ritualized. This brings closure to the gathering, thereby demonstrating
that a proper harmonious ending in some things can still be achieved. A
final bow from seiza between the host and the guests plus a short
benediction is very common: "May the harmony of tea fill all your days."
The host then sees his guests to where he first met them, at which point
the guests disperse, thereby allowing the host to return and perform the
necessary cleanup. Note that, exceptional circumstances notwithstanding,
the guests should refrain from offering to help, as it implies that the
host is not capable of performing such action.
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Overview
Preparation
Setting
Beginning
Details
Ending
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