W&L Tea Society Hosts Women and Girls’ Day Tea Ceremony
The Washington and Lee University Chanoyu Tea Society will host its second Woman and Girls’ Day Tea to celebrate International Women’s Month. It will be held on March 12 in the Japanese Tea Room, Senshin’an, located in the Watson Pavilion at W&L. Observe a traditional Tea Ceremony by W&L students and enjoy sweets and a bowl of green tea.
There will be three seatings: 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Individual tickets for this event are free, but are required due to limited space. Tickets must be picked up at the Reeves Center Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
For more information, contact Cassie Ivey at (540) 458-8034 or civey@wlu.edu. For more information about the tea room, see http://tearoom.wlu.edu.
W&L’s Tea Room serves as a classroom and cultural laboratory where students study and practice temae, or the making of tea, which introduces them to history, literature, art, traditional customs, aesthetics and perceptions of beauty.
In 2011, Sen Genshitsu, the 15th-generation grand master of the Urasenke tradition of tea, presented the university with the tea room’s name, Senshin’an or Clearing-the-Mind Abode.
Tea room names are special gifts, as Janet Ikeda, associate professor of Japanese at W&L, explained, and “W&L’s tea room name was significant as it came from such a distinguished person.”
“At last year’s Women and Girls’ Day, the Chanoyu Tea Society, a student organization dedicated to learning the tea ceremony, was delighted to welcome many guests to the W&L Senshin’an tea room,” said Ikeda. “Girls’ Day is celebrated throughout Japan with the display of elaborate doll sets and the serving of special sweets.
“Last year, the Tea Society purchased a special swaying kettle that hangs from a chain in the ceiling. The subtle movement of the kettle reminds us of the gentle spring breeze that will soon arrive. Tea Society once again looks forward to welcoming women and girls, men and boys, to celebrate International Women’s Month.”
For pictures, see https://www.facebook.com/Chanoyu-Tea-Society-of-Washington-and-Lee-University-125724700790277/.
