Англійське чаювання (10 клас)

English Tea Party.

(In the room there are 4 tables laid in respect to the tradition of the English tea party. The tables are covered with white cloths. There are white or white- and-blue or blue cups and saucers for every guest. There are vases with white flowers and tea-cloths/napkins matching the tablecloths in colour. The dishes with traditional English tea-cakes, waffles and English batches are on the tables for guests to taste them. There can be also flavoured crème and jam and very simple, not pompous pie or cake. The teapots with the tea already made in them, a pitcher or a jug with boiling water and a jug with milk or cream are also on the tables. A sugar-bowl with sugar is on the tables. A tune of tango is heard in the room. All the objects on the tables have the labels with their names.)

Pupil 1: Britain is full of culture and traditions which have been around for hundreds of years. British customs and traditions are famous all over the world. When people think of Britain they often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips and wearing bowler hats, but there is more to Britain than just those things. We have British traditions of sport, music, food and many royal occasions. There are also songs, sayings and superstitions.

Pupil 2: Traditions make a nation special. Some of them are old-fashioned and many people remember them, others are part of people's life. Some British customs and traditions are known all over the world: bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather. Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas, St. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Easter and others. So, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have a very long history. Some are funny and some are strange. But they are all interesting.

Pupil 1: Tea-drinking is a rather old tradition and became part of people’s life. Tea is a beverage prepared by pouring boiling water over dry processed tea leaves. It is the most popular refreshing drink in England.

Pupil 2: Nowadays people drink a lot of tea in England. They usually meet with their friends to talk and drink some tea in the cafes. Let’s see how the do it.

(Two girls and a boy stage a short play at the cafes. The girls sit at the table and ask the waiter to bring a cup of tea.) 

-         Waiter, waiter!

-         Yes, Miss.

-         Could we have two cups of tea, please?

-         Yes, Miss. Would you like black or green tea?

-         I would like black one with the lemon.

-         And you, Miss?

-         I’d like black tea too, but with milk, please.

-         Ok! Anything else?

-         Yes, bring us some tea-cakes, please. And that’s all.

-         Well, Miss. Everything will be in some minutes.

-         Thank you.

Pupil 1:  Dear guests and pupils! We invite you to listen to the history and traditions of English tea. You are welcome at the afternoon tea party.

(The host and the hostess of the party greet their guests, who take their places at the tables.) 

Hostess: We are glad to see our guests at our afternoon tea party. We see there are a lot of guests and friends from abroad.

Host: You know, the tradition of 5-o’clock tea is not so much popular as it was yeas ago. Nowadays the tea parties are held only in few cafes and clubs. Families organize tea parties very rarely now.

Hostess: Our family decided to maintain this old tradition that was once common both in the royal family and in ordinary English families.

Host: Maybe you don’t know what this tradition is like. That’s why we’ve sent letters and cards to some of our friends. We wrote them about this tradition. I think a lot of our friends and neighbours present here will tell you something about this glorious tradition with pleasure.

Friend 1: The Chinese people were the first to enjoy the taste of tea. The ancient Chinese records mentioned this drink in 2737 B.C. Tea in China was respected very much. Emperors awarded it to their noble men for particular merits. In the palace they drank this aromatic drink during spe­cial court ceremonies. The poets glorified tea in their songs. Tea cultivation and production became as secret as production of silk, china, paper and other Chinese inventions. Tea plantations were hidden and protected from foreigners. Chinese merchants sold tea to different countries. From China tea began its triumphant march throughout the world.

Friend 2: In the 8^th century tea came to Japan. Then it went through Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Si­beria and Middle Asia. Though tea became a favourite beverage in the majority countries of the world, they could not cultivate it and imported it from China.

Friend 3: Only in the 1^st half of the 19^th century tea was culti­vated in some Asian countries. In 1824, the Dutch grew tea plantations on the island Java, and in 1834, they began to grow tea in India.

Friend 4: The history of English tea-drinking dates back to 1662. This year English Prince Charles II was presented with the Chinese tea leaves by the merchants as a present for his wedding. Till the 17^th century it had become especially fashionable among the elite to have tea at home.

Friend 5: Till the 19^th century an enormous amount of tea was brought to England from China. Tea was advertised widely. It became of great demand.

Friend 6: In 1706, Tom's Coffee House was opened. The owner was Thomas Twining . It became especially popular. Visitors could taste both coffee and tea. In 1717, Mr. Twining opened a tea house "Golden Lion". It works even nowadays. Soon tea became available to most people.

Friend 7: The 19^th century became the golden age of tea in England. In 1837, Her Majesty got her personal tea provider, who was Richard I Twining.

Friend 8: In 1840, Duchess Anna Bedford brought the tradition of afternoon tea into fashion. A 5-o'clock Tea Law was adopted. This made tea much more popular than coffee.

Friend 9: It was no wonder that Anna, the Duchess of Bedford  experienced a "sinking feeling" in the late afternoon. Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her for an addi­tional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walk­ing the fields". The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

Friend 10: At this time two distinct forms of tea services evolved: "High" and "Low". "Low" Tea (served in the low part of the afternoon) was served in aristocratic homes of the wealthy and featured gourmet tidbits rather than solid meals. The emphasis was on presentation and conversa­tion. "High" Tea or "Meat Tea" was the main or "High" meal of the day. It was the major meal of the middle and lower classes and consisted of mostly full dinner items such as roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, and of course, tea.

Friend 11: In nineteenth century the English delivered tea by sea from China. Because the tea could spoil on its way to England, captains used the fastest ships called clippers. The voyage still took about 90 days. That’s why tea was very expensive. Housewives kept it in special locked boxes like treasure.

Friend 12: The first official tea house was opened in 1864. In 1876, the Lipton firm appeared. At first it sold tea, than it began to produce tea. In 1893, the Lipton tea took the first place at the World Tea Fair in Chicago.

Friend 13: At the end of the 19^th century the breakfast tea tradition appeared. It became fashionable to listen to and dance the tango in the tea houses.

Hostess: Dear friends! Do you know the history of development the word “tea”?

Friend 14: Yes, it’s rather interesting. As a little bit of background, the word "chai" actually means "tea"'. Around most of Asia, a word sounding simi­lar to "chai" is used in Japan and China, it is "cha".

Friend 15: When the Indians, Russians and Portuguese traded with China, they took up the usage of this word, which became "chai".South Asian and Arab countries also have a version of this, using variations of "chai" or "shai".

Hostess: So how did the English-speaking world come to use the word "tea" when the rest of the world (almost!) uses "chai"?

Friend 14: In one province of Japan, the Fujian province, in­stead of using "cha", they used the word "te". The Dutch traders who worked in that area, adopted that name and, with slight pronunciation changes, sold it as "tay" through Europe.

Friend 15: Somewhere along the line, the English decided to change that pronunciation, and used "tee" instead. And so this is how it's pronounced today!

Host: Dear guests, do you know how many types of  tea we have today?

Friend 16: Today there are three main kinds of tea:  black, green, and oolong.

And special group is herbal tea which contains no true tea leaves. Herbal and "me­dicinal" teas are created from the flowers, berries, peels, seeds, leaves and roots of many different plants.

Hostess: So, as tea is the most popular drink in England many poems are about tea. These poems show their sentimental love of tea.

Friend 17:

 I'm a little teapot,

Short and stout,

Here is my handle,

Here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up

Hear me shout:

"Tip me over And pour me out!"

(Pupils sing the song “I’m a little teapot” together.)

 Friend 18:

I like a nice cup of tea in the morning,

For to start the day, you see,

And at half past eleven,

Well, my idea of heaven

Is a nice cup of tea.

I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner,

And a nice cup of tea with my tea,

And when it's time for bed,

There's a lot to be said

For a nice cup of tea.

Host: Also there are a lot of tea quotes which were said by famous people.

(Friends and guests read in turn tea quotes which were said by famous people)

"Eddie: The entire British empire was built on cups of tea, and if you think I'm going to war without one, mate, you're mistaken". From "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"

"Tea tempers the spirits and harmonises the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens or refreshes the body, and clears the perceptive faculties”. Confucius

"heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are exhausted, it will calm you." William Gladstone

"Angel came down from heaven yesterday, she stayed with me just long enough for afternoon tea..." Jimi Hendrix Angel

"The tea party is a spa for the soul. You leave your cares and work behind.

Busy people forget their business. Your stress melts away, your senses awaken..." From Alexandra Stoddard

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual mo ment. Only this moment is life”. Thich Nat Hahn

"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of under     standing truth and beauty." Japanese Proverb

"I love tea. It's my elixir of eternal youth. Physical youth and mental youth”. Regina Helker answering to a journalist

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." Henry James "The Portrait of a Lady"

Friend 19: In most factories and offices in Britain, people stop work for a few minutes in the middle of the morning and in the middle of the afternoon to have a cup of tea, and maybe a biscuit. This is called a "tea break", a tradition that started about 200 years ago. In the last century some employers tried to stop the tea break. They said it made the workers lazy. But it was too late, and today millions of people look forward to their tea breaks every day.

Friend 20: English people used to drink tea about six times a day. The first cup of tea or "cuppa" helped them to wake up early in the morning, while in bed. The second one, with milk, was drunk at breakfast-time. After lunch at about 1 o'clock - the third one. Because dinner was very late, the English had lots of "tea breaks" (tea with snacks) during the day. These breaks were also called "low tea". The most famous tea break was "five-o'clock tea". At 7 or 8 p.m. it was time for dinner and "high tea". And, just before going to bed, it was time for the last "cuppa".

Hostess: You have come to know how the tea tradition was established in Britain. Now some of our friends will eagerly tell and show you the main rules of the English tea party ceremony.

Friend 21: The English know how to make good tea. A cup of it will wake you up in the morning and put you to sleep at night.

Friend 22: If you are hot, tea will cool you off, and if you are cold, it will warm you up.

Friend 21: If you drink it in the middle of the morning, it will stimulate you to work. If you drink it in the afternoon, it will relax you.

Friend 22: The English people seldom put lemon juice or rum into their tea, they usually have it with milk.

Friend 23: (draws attention of the guests to the tables in the room that are laid in such a way). To hold a tea party one should lay the table in a special way. There should be either one-colour cloth or a cloth with small not bright drawings. It can be white or blue. A vase with natural white flowers is necessary. There should be napkins or tea-cloths matching the tablecloths .

Friend 24: Every guest is offered a white- or blue-coloured cup and a saucer together with a fork and knife and a special tea-spoon. There is a tea-pot with already made tea. The tea-pot should be covered with  a tea-cosy, a kind of cloth. A pitcher with the boilling water and a jug with cream or milk are also on  the table. You can see sugar-bowls, jugs with jam and dishes with tea-snacks. There are different tea-cakes, waffles, traditional batches and very simple cakes/pies on your tables.

Friend 25: As for the tea, the guests are traditionally suggested to choose one of the 5-10 tea-brands. The most popular and respectable is Earl Grey (a tea-box with this brand name is shown).  It is very prestigious to have your own mixture of different kinds of tea for guests to taste.

Friend 23: Traditional tea-snacks in England are tea-cakes (buns with raisins), waffles, scones, ginger cakes, jam and creme.

Friend 24: Tea is made in the tea-pots. Water is not added in the cups after the tea is poured. Tea should stay for 3-5 minutes in the tea-pot before being poured into cups. Then boiling water is added in the tea-pot again, The tea-pot is covered with the tea-cosy.

Hostess: And now when you have got acquainted with the tradition, and flavoured tea has been poured into your cups, let’s taste the traditional English Lipton tea and   delicious tea-snacks you have on your tables.

Host: You can hear the pretty tune of the tango that is very popular in the English tea houses. Let’s fell the atmosphere of such a tea house.