민간신앙으로서의 茶의 기능 연구

A Study on the Tea Function as Folk Belief

Ever since prehistoric ages, tea has been thought of as a precious present. As such, it was often given to valuable guests of the royal court or royal family as a cultural present. For the public, due in part to a folk belief from the Samhan period, tea served as a typical gift, tribute and offering throughout the ancient, Goryeo, Joseon and modern periods. Further, tea was a very important symbol. Folk beliefs posited that one should hold sacred natural inanimate objects such as mountains, trees, rocks, rivers and the sea, as well as animals such as the serpent, tiger, horse, bear and magpie. Such deification customs involved worshiping the mountains, the river or sea, or praying to the trees or rocks. There are a variety of examples in which tea was used as the function of folk beliefs. Regarding the tea culture of the public, the symbol of the tea spirit was considered more important than the tea of Paengda, the manners of Hangda or the taste of Eumda, because of mysteriousness and acquirement of the wisdom of the ancestors. Tea was a valuable offering and was the first tribute performed when presenting the six offerings to Buddha. In the cultural history of Korea, the tea ceremony and tea offering were performed to search for the nature and truth of life, and they demonstrated manners representing respect and sincerity. The ideal foundation of the tea ceremony was religion, though at the same time it transcended religion and was a philosophy of life.