Azerbaijan Tea Culture
Tea culture in the country of Azerbaijan is abundant and long-standing. There are “tea ceremonies”, in which tea is served for special events like weddings. Tea is also served when hosting any guests. They use “armudu glasses” which are shaped like pears to serve tea in. Additionally, to sweeten the tea, they dip a bit of sugar in the tea, bite it, and then drink it. They drink their tea with sweet snacks. The goal of this website is to answer some questions and do a deep dive into the culture of tea rituals in Azerbaijan, and how it relates to folk rituals.
What Is a Folk Ritual?
Folk rituals are traditions and practices of certain groups. One example of a ritual would be singing happy birthday to someone, and them blowing out the candles on their cake afterwards. The people of Azerbaijan who participate in tea culture often have rituals with it in which they use tea as part of ceremonies or special events. One such ritual would be that they take hard sugar, dip it in the tea and then bite a piece off.
More on Tea Culture
The people of Azerbaijan use tea drinking as an opportunity for conversation and gathering. It is tradition that hosts are to offer tea to all their visitors, and they must have one cup of tea before their departure. Additionally, tea is served for formal gatherings like weddings. It is a foundational piece of their hosting culture, and can be considered a folk ritual as it has deep history and specific practices. For example, in regards to marriage proposals, whether the tea served is sweetened or unsweetened symbolizes the parent's approval or disapproval to the marriage. The most popular kind of tea there is black tea.
