Symbolism

Every Saturday at 3pm my family and I have been having tea at my grandparents house since before I was born. It is a family tradition that my immediate family, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents attend... and we are always open to having visitors.

There are a few symbols at this tradition that really stand out and having been abroad, I have noticed the same patterns.

1- The round table

Circular shape of the table: Medieval tables usually were rectangular, sometimes square, but rarely round. This unusual feature of the Round Table invites symbolic interpretation. Some or all of the symbolic interpretations of the table's circularity can be viewed either in bono (pointing to a positive value) or in malo (pointing to a negative value).

Round Table as symbol of the equality of Arthur's knights. Rectangular tables were used at feasts, and the seating assignments normally reflected the feudal hierarchy. In a royal court, the king and queen and a select group of nobles were seated at a "high table" on a dais, while the other participants were seated at one or more rectangular tables in the hall. Those of higher rank were seated closer to the dais; those of lower rank would be seated further away. The Christmas feast at the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses this conventional seating arrangement. The Round Table, in contrast, seems to subvert the feudal hierarchy with its claims of equality among the knights.

In bono we can imagine a fellowship of knights bonded as equals under the code of chivalry. But the explicit statements of this theme present in in malo, as a negative detail. Wace, in his Brut, writes that Arthur ordered the Round Table to be built in order to resolve a conflict among his knights concerning who should have precedence. This theme is elaborated by Layamon in his Brut: he writes that during a Christmas feast at Carduel in Wales, a quarrel broke out among the knights as to who had precedence, and Arthur ordered Merlin to fashion the Round Table in order to resolve the conflict. The Round Table thus becomes a symbol of pride and contentiousness rather than of equality.

Round Table as a symbol of the world: In the 13th-century Queste del Saint Graal, Malory's source for his "Sankgreall," another interpretation of the symbolism is given. An anchoress tells Perceval: "You are well aware that the world has seen three great tables. The first was the Table of Jesus Christ, where the apostles often ate. . . . After that table there was another built like it and in remembrance of it. That was the table of the Holy Grail. . . After that table there was the Round Table build by Merlin, which was not established without a high spiritual meaning. That it is called 'the Round Table' suggests the roundness of the earth, the spheres of the planets, and the elements of the firmament. . . so that one can justly say that the Round Table means the world.

This is just it...equality. Everyone sits around the table, we're all facing each other, it is a form of acceptance, equality, and coming together. Even if it is for just a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. And some family members might disagree; that there isn't equality because someone always has to have the microphone, voices rise, fists thump the table at once and 5-4-3-2-1 countdowns are made in order to bring certain pointless conversations to an end. We are restricted to 2-3 hours only, everyone wants to put in their share/opinion. Conversations generally include and are not limited to politics, international news, Hollywood news, hockey if the men get a chance to speak (which is rare being a matriarchal family), personal updates, weekly agendas, etc.

2- A pot of tea...not a cup of tea, a pot of tea.

Hahahaha... this is the worlds smallest teapot, I just thought it was so cute, so I thought i'd post it.

Anyways, there's something to be said about a teapot. We always have two going at once, because there are so many of us, while one is being used, the other one is in preparation or is steeping, this way we have a constant flow of tea. Our teapots usually pour about 6 cups each, and we don't just drink them out of mugs with "Hey ya old fart, happy 21st birthday" on them, we drink them out of proper tea cups with proper saucers... but we're not that anal, they don't always have to match.

In Kinsale, when we visited my cousin's family friends/former neighbours in Zimbabwe, they welcomed us into their home and served us a cup of tea, poured out of a tea pot and enjoyed around a round table. We were then invited to stay for dinner, as were others that came in, and the house exploded into a long conversation(s)/debate(s) about Irish politics. Some things are universal.

Anyways, the reason why I'm posting this is because I'd like to recognize the social benefits of sitting around a round table and sharing a cup of tea with family or friends. We do this every Saturday back home, just as a way to connect/regroup every week. I suggest setting this up with your family and/or friends too.

Happy Steeping!!!!