Tea has a thousand uses for Tibetans. When one has guests, he or she will entertain them with tea. Parents and elders are often toasted with tea. When older persons, themselves, sit together, they sip tea, gossip, and often recite the Six Syllable Prayer. When going to visit friends, one's gifts should include tea.

When a couple becomes engaged, tea is indispensable because it represents ever-lasting ties to Tibetans. When the bride reaches her husband's home for the first time, she should go directly to the kitchen, where she will make tea for her par-ents-in-law.

Tea bowls

There are six kinds of bowls used to drink tea. Top quality bowls usually exhibit beautiful patterns of dragons, male lions, phoenix, eight-petal lotus flowers, or one or more of the eight auspicious patterns. These bowls are for eminent monks and Living Buddhas and they are yellow in color.

Bowls of a light blue color are for elders and guests. They are painted with peonies and other floral patterns.

Wooden bowls made into beautiful shapes are inlaid with elegant silver patterns. Ordinary people love to take these bowls with them when going out.

Entertaining guests with buttered tea.

Wooden tea bowls used to drink tea.

Tools used to make tea.

An old lama making buttered tea.

Editor: Xu Shenglan