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IRELAND "Cupan Tae Ritual" The Shamrock There's a dear little plant that grows in our Isle, 'Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it; And the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile, And dew from his eye often wet it. It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland, And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland! (Irish Blessing)
The Irish are well known for their fondness of tea. Ireland consumes more tea per capita than any other nation in the world, each person averaging 4 - 6 cups per day or 7 pounds a year. The Irish slang word for tea is "cha". In Gaelic (the Irish language that evolved from the Celtic immigrants) "cupan tae" means "cup of tea." "Cupan tae" is often Anglicized into "cuppa" or "cuppa tay", which both mean "cupan tae" or "cup of tea". The Irish make a strong and robust cupan tae! "Cupan Tae Ritual" "Tae" if often served three times a day. At (11:00 am) "elevenses" tea can be an informal break. Afternoon Tae (3:00 - 5:00 PM), is often the fanciest of the three tae services. It is often served with light foods such as scones, breads, jam, curds, and other dainties. High Tae (6:00 PM) is actually the working person's evening meal. "Cupan Tae" Preparation and Ritual  WATER: Must contain as much air as possible. Cold water right from the tap is best. POT: The pot (teapot) must keep the tae warm long enough to steep for 5 minutes. MILK: Lots of it! Irish tae is strong and is to be mixed with a lot of rich whole milk or cream (about 1/4 or 1/3 of the cup of tae should be cream). It is customary to pour the milk into the cup FIRST, then pour in the tae...this is very important! Mathair (pronounced maw-hirr in English - "Mother") Someone is needed to pour the "tae" (male, female, young or old, anyone can be "Mathair"). If the host/hostess is busy preparing snacks or welcoming guests , it is not customary to serve yourself. Instead, someone needs to step in to become become the "Mathair" and pour out and serve the tae. It is very considerate for you to offer to the hostess, "Shall I be Mathair?" "TAE": An Irish breakfast blend tea is composed of high grown ceylon tea mixed with a hearty Assam tea. The Irish enjoy drinking this strong blend of black "tae" all day long. MAKING THE TAE: Warm the pot. Using one heaping teaspoon of loose tae per cup of water and then "add one extra for the pot". Steep tae for 5 minutes, keep warm and serve. RITUAL: Each Irish "cupan tae" ritual is unique to the host or hostess. Sweets & treats can be served and consist of a variety of texture, colors and flavors which compliment the "tae". The main purpose of this ritual, is to share special time with family and friends. A person can make it as simple or as complicated as they wish, but the main element is to enjoy each other's company with a friendly cupan tae! ***
Irish facts and folklore * The capital city of Ireland is Dublin. Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle because it is famous for its lush green hills. * The Irish (Gaelic) word for Ireland is Eire. The Irish (Gaelic) language evolved from Celtic immigrants around 600 BC. * The first people to bring the English language to Ireland were the Normans. English was adopted as the main language starting from the 18th Century.  * In 432 AD St. Patrick arrived in Ireland from Britain to convert the pagan Gaelic Kings to Christianity. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th as a National holiday. * The word "shamrock" comes from Gaelic for "little clover." It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, and the shamrock is still used as a good-luck symbol today. * Irish monasteries were centers of learning where monks produced hand-illustrated manuscripts, like the Book of Kells, which was written around 800 AD. * King Henry VIII, of England, was the first English monarch to declare himself King of Ireland in 1541 AD. * The Irish Parliament was granted independence from England in 1782 AD. * The Irish flag has three vertical stripes in green, white and orange. The green color represents the native Gaelic people (most of whom are Roman Catholic Christians), the orange color represents the British supporters of William of Orange who settled in Northern Ireland in the 17th century (most of whom are Protestant Christians), and the white color in the middle represents the peace between these two groups. * Irish legends, tales and folklore are an essential part of the Irish culture. There are references to the fact that oral story telling held such an important part of Gaelic Ireland, that a "poet" was considered a "guardian of knowledge". * Irish folklore includes characters such as: leprechauns, sidhe (fairies), selkies (seals by day & human by night), and merrow (mermaids). *Legend has it, that the Tuatha De Dannan (which is Gaelic for the Tribe of the Goddess Dana),were ancient rulers of Ireland for close to 200 years before the Celts. They had powerful magic, but were banished underground and emerged years later as dwarfed men (the Leprechauns and Fir Darrigs).  *The Leprechauns were descendants of the Tuatha De Danann. The Gaelic translation of the word Leprechaun is shoemaker. They live alone and make tiny shoes for the Sidhe (fairies). They are famous for their hidden pots of gold. You must catch them and make them tell where they have hidden the pot of gold. It is legend that Leprechauns love to play tricks and torment greedy people! *The Blarney Stone: People from around the world travel to the Blarney castle to hang upside down to reach under a parapet where the Blarney stone is located. It is said that whoever kisses the Blarney stone will receive the eternal gift of eloquence (in Gaelic "solabharthact" translated to "the gift of gab"). The word blarney has come to mean to placate with soft talk or to deceive without offending. Legend has it that in the late 16th century, a builder of the Blarney castle, named Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy, often sweet talked the Lord President of Munster giving reasons and excuses for the unfilled promises of completing the castle on time. This became known as "Blarney talk". *The Claddagh: The hands are for friendship The heart is for love And the crown is for loyalty Held high above. According to 16th century Irish folklore, a fishing boat from the village of Claddagh was was captured by Algerian pirates and the crew was sold into slavery. One of the crew was a young man named Richard Joyce, who was supposed to be married the same week he was captured. Richard was sold to a wealthy Moorish goldsmith, who taught him the trade and he eventually designed a ring of special significance: a ring that known as "the claddagh ring". It has hands became for friendship, a crown for loyalty, and a heart for love. Years went by, and Richard never forgot his sweetheart. Somehow, he managed to escape and return to Claddagh, Ireland. He discovered that his sweetheart never married. They wed immediately and the ring he gave her was the one he desinged and made while in slavery. Over the years, the desging became very popular as a betrothal or wedding ring and even a friendship ring. *** To REGISTER for the Travel the World with Mes Amis Tea Club, or to be put on a mailing list to receive information about attending the tea events on a month to month basis.... |
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