International Tea Day

Tea bags. Rudy and Peter Skitterians / Pixabay.com / 2016 / CC0 1.0

International Tea Day is the 21st of May.

Observance of the day is led by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Among other things, the day promotes the sustainable production of tea and the role that tea could play in helping workers fight hunger and poverty.

“The Day will promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour of the sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty.” ^[1]United Nations. International Tea Day. 21 May. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tea-day

The day is particularly supported by tea producing countries such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Seminars, conferences, and other events are held.

And of course, tastings and get-togethers to enjoy and promote tea are also held.

As of 2016, the top per-person tea consuming counties are (1) Turkey, (2) Ireland, and (3) United Kingdom. ^[2] Statista. January 2016. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.statista.com/statistics/507950/global-per-capita-tea-consumption-by-country/. These were the most recent stats available as of 2021.

How do you like your tea better hot, or cold? Out of all the countries in the world, in the United States, cold tea is more popular than hot:

“Americans are, for instance, much fonder of iced tea than they are of hot tea — more than 85 percent of tea consumed in the U.S. is chilled.” ^[3]Ferdman, Roberto A. America is slowly—but surely—becoming a nation of tea drinkers. Washington, DC: The Washington Post. 3 December 2014.

#InternationalTeaDay #TeaDay

See also: Tea, Tisanes, National Tea Day (UK)

“In English society, while there is tea there is hope.” — Horace in: Pinero, Arthur W. Sweet Lavender. London: William Heinemann. 1893. Page 73.

Activities for today

• try a tea that is new to you;
• have a tea party, and have everyone you invite bring a different kind of tea for others to try;
• go out with a friend for tea at a fancy place you wouldn’t usually go;
• learn the difference between tea and tisanes;
• research fair trade tea companies;
• look for recipe that has tea as an ingredient.

Issues in the world of tea

Many people depend on tea for a living: farm workers, pickers, packers, auctioneers, transporters, etc.. But, tea workers face low wages, lack of medical care and lack of good sanitation facilities.

“Tea production and processing constitutes a main source of livelihoods for millions of families in developing countries and is the main means of subsistence for millions of poor families, who live in a number of least developed countries. The tea industry is a main source of income and export revenues for some of the poorest countries and, as a labour-intensive sector, provides jobs, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged areas. Tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops.” ^[4]United Nations. International Tea Day. 21 May. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tea-day

Tea production is seen as being able to be a positive, sustainable industry:

“Tea production and the Sustainable Development Goals: Tea production and processing contributes to the reduction of extreme poverty (Goal 1), the fight against hunger (Goal 2), the empowerment of women (Goal 5) and the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (Goal 15). Moreover, there is an urgent need to raise public awareness of the importance of tea for rural development and sustainable livelihoods and to improve the tea value chain to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” ^[5]United Nations. International Tea Day. 21 May. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tea-day

But, in order to ensure benefits for both people and the environment, the tea value chain must be sustainable at all stages, from field to cup. ^[6]International Tea Day. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Accessed April 2021 at http://www.fao.org/international-tea-day/en/

History of Tea Day

Tea Day was first observed in New Delhi, India, in 2005.

In 2015, the Indian government proposed that it be expanded internationally.

In 2019, the 2019 that the United Nations FAO designated 21st May as International Tea Day globally.

The reason May was settled on is that that is when the tea production season begins in most of the countries that produce tea ^[7]International Tea Day 2020: Date, history and significance. New Delhi: India Today. 15 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/international-tea-day-2020-date-history-and-significance-1749625-2020-12-15

A resolution supporting it was adopted by the General Assembly on Dec. 21, 2019.

“First Observance of the International Tea Day: Harnessing benefits for all from field to cup — 21 May 2020 at 14:00 hours (Rome time)” ^[8]United Nations. International Tea Day. 21 May. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tea-day

Previously, in India, Tea Day had actually been the 15th of December, and in December 2020, Indian media continued to observe it on the December date.

Four tea sites are recognized by FAO as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

Sources

Ackermann, John. Canadians invited to enjoy ‘a cuppa’ to mark International Tea Day. Vancouver, BC: 1130 News. 21 May 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/21/international-tea-day/

Iyer, Suraj. International Tea Day 2020: History and importance of this day. 14 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://thebridge.in/fitness-wellness/international-tea-day-2020-history-importance-day/

International Tea Day 2020: Date, history and significance. New Delhi: India Today. 15 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/international-tea-day-2020-date-history-and-significance-1749625-2020-12-15

International Tea Day 2020: All you need to know about occasion promoting ethical and sustainable production of tea. Mumbai, India: FirstPost. 15 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.firstpost.com/world/international-tea-day-2020-all-you-need-to-know-about-occasion-promoting-ethical-and-sustainable-production-of-tea-9113461.html

Saha, Somdatta. International Tea Day 2020: 7 Unique Tea Traditions From Across India. New Delhi, India: New Delhi Television. 15 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/international-tea-day-2020-7-unique-tea-traditions-from-across-india-2338817

The story of International Tea Day. Mumbai, India: The Times of India. 15 December 2020. Accessed April 2021 at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/the-story-of-international-tea-day/photostory/79736068.cms