Tea Superstitions ~ since the legend of Emperor Shen Nung’s(1) discovery of tea nearly 5,000 years ago, to modern, tea leaf fortune-telling, tea is steeped in folklore, magick, whimsy and superstition ~ enough to make a Green Witch’s heart smile. And like all superstitions, Tea Superstitions represent good luck, bad luck, and a wee bit of fun…
Good luck
- Sprinkling dry tea leaves on your front-door step protects your home from evil spirits
- Throwing your used tea leaves onto the fire is good luck, and keeps poverty away.
- Spilling tea leaves while in the process of making your tea is good luck (although only if done accidentally, spilling the leaves on purpose doesn’t work).
- If there are bubbles in your teacup: near the edge of your cup means romance and kisses, if the bubbles are in the centre of your cup it means money. The more bubbles ~ the more kisses and money.
- Tea that is made a little stronger than normal means you are about to meet a new friend.
Bad luck
- If you make your tea a little weaker than normal, you are about to lose a friend.
- Stirring tea while it is in the teapot means you are about to argue with a friend.
- You will have bad luck if you stir your tea with anything but a spoon.
- Stirring someone else’s tea means you are stirring up trouble for them.
- Accidentally leaving the lid off the teapot means a stranger will visit you with bad news.
- Bad luck is pending if you pour boiling water into an empty teapot (because you forgot to put in the tea leaves).
A wee bit of fun
- To accidentally put two spoons in a cup of tea means marriage for the person drinking the tea.
- If two women pour from the same pot, one of them will have a baby within a year.
- If a man and a woman take turns pouring from the same teapot, they will have a baby together.
- The more tea leaves that end up in your cup, the fuller your life will be. If leaves float to the top, you are about to have an unexpected visit from a lover.
- My personal favourite: tea leaves in a coffin, gives the departed refreshment for their onward journey (and is also meant to serve the practical purpose of absorbing strong smells).
Tea Superstitions ~ like any superstitions ~ can provide ritual and a sense of the familiar, and in doing so, can engender a little connection and culture. Of course like anything though, if taken too far, they can cause anxiety when one is not able to adhere to them(2). The balance, as with most things in life, lies in the spaces in-between.
~ GreenWitch Tea
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call… The Twilight Zone. ~ Rod Serling(3)
(1) Emperor Shen Nung’s discovery of tea
(2) Superstitions can be positive or negative
(3) About Rod Serling
9 Comments. Leave new
lovely bit of tea tradition
Thanks Beverley, I’m glad you enjoyed it… Blessings to you…
So much fun to read as well as interesting tyvm
Thanks Lovely Sandra, have many blessings in your day!
What a delightful read, as I smiled widely in it’s entirety! I shall enjoy adding imagination and wiimsey to my tea times! Thank you !
Thanks Sandra, tea tastes even better with imagination and whimsy… :-)) Blessings )o(
Just wondering if you know any superstitions regarding a bag breaking open? This just happened to a friend of mine.
I am not aware of bags breaking open being a superstition, but if it was anything, hopefully it means abundance (i.e. the bag was so full). Many blessings…
You just saved my english presentation 🙂