International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony kicks off in Korea
Date: October 10, 2007
International Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony, one of the world's most renowned
international tea ceremonies, will take place from later this week in
Korea with over 1,000 member participants from 11 countries,
organizers said Wednesday (Oct. 10). The ceremony, which originated in
Taiwan and is marking its 11th this year, will officially begin on
Saturday at the Won-Buddhist Headquarters in Iksan, North Jeolla
Province, On Friday evening, participants will attend a welcoming
dinner with the Mayor of Iksan City at a Seoul hotel. Following the
ceremony in Iksan, participants will move to Seoul to attend a final
ceremony at the Changgyeong Palace Sunday. More than 200 people from
10 countries, including China, Japan, the U.S., Italy and Malaysia,
will join over 1,000 tea-loving people from Korea in the event. Wu-Wo
literally means "void or absolute emptiness of self" and serves as the
cornerstone of the Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony's basic principle of
nondiscrimination and equality. To cultivate this concept, seats for
the event are determined randomly through a lottery, and the rules for
drinking tea, as well as the variety of teas served, are not limited.
Additionally, since the Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony lacks any concept of
"giving and receiving," tea is served in one direction, thus
encouraging the practice of offering tea in a pure and genuine manner.
"Through this ceremony, the Wu-Wo Tea Ceremony's basic mentality of
nondiscrimination, openness, and spontaneity will become widely
known," and "it will be an opportunity to promote Korea's traditional
tea as high level cultural content to the cultural tourism industry,"
stated an organizer from the Korean Committee of the International Wu-
Wo Tea Ceremony. To commemorate the commencement of the Wu-Wo Tea
Ceremony in Korea, The Iksan International Tea Culture Festival will
be held at the Bae Mountain Sports Park on Saturday. This festival
will feature aspects of the Korean traditional tea culture experience,
such as ceramics and the use of natural dyes. Families can also make
and enjoy green tea flavored Korean rice cakes traditionally served
with tea.
SOURCE : Korea.net

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