Robiraki ( Tea ceremony for opening a hearth) 2017/10/15
The other day we enjoyed Robiraki ceremony at the quiet house of the head of our tea sect.
During summer, we close a hearth and use Furo ( a kind of stove for boiling water). Rpbiraki means the start of winter style tea ceremony by opening a hearth instead of Furo.
Traditionally this ceremony should be held on the first day of boar in the mouth of boar by old lunar-solar calendar which falls on around mid November by current solar calendar.
Boar stands for number ten by the old signs and is considered to control fire.
On that day, we began with solemn charcoal ceremony.
Firstly remove a kettle from fireplace,
Dropping wet beautiful sand in fireplace,
Supplying charcoal in fireplace,
Putting few incenses beside charcoals,
Finally the host brought back a kettle to fireplace.
After above procedure was neatly done, each member put a leaf of chrysanthemum on a burning charcoal with salt and gave a spark from a flint. Through this purification all members wished and promised to control fire properly during and after tea ceremonies.
Smell of incenses and chrysanthemum leaves began to prevail into a whole room and we could hear the confortable sound of burning charcoal and boiling water.
Now we are ready to start winter style tea ceremony with a fireplace.
