In 2019, the United Nations agreed to formally recognise International Tea Day, making 21 May 2020 the first.

There have been a variety of celebrated Tea Days throughout history, across many nations. The strongest international effort was an initiative in 2005 that designated International Tea Day as 15 December. The occasion was to acknowledge the global nature of tea, but in particular the people involved in production, from the growers to the pickers, packers and factory workers.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Intergovernmental Group (FAO-IGG) on Tea, the members of which are from producing and consuming countries alike, led a petition for the United Nations to formally endorse a Day for tea.

“The purpose is to draw attention to the industry and its importance in the lives of tens of millions of people around the globe who rely on tea for their livelihood,” explains Shabnam Weber, President of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, a member of that group. “Once the group had agreed, the request was put forth by the FAO and then went on to the UN General Assembly as resolution 74/241, which was passed in November 2019.”

Once passed, the biggest challenge was to choose an appropriate date. The month of May stood out as a key time for northern hemisphere harvests and the member countries eventually settled on the 21st.

“Celebrating tea is something that can always be done, of course we don’t need a designated day by the UN to do that,” says Weber. “Uniting everyone, however, is powerful and that’s what this day represents. Having all countries celebrate on one day amplifies the message exponentially, and that is the greatest benefit.”

She expects different countries will have their own spin on the Day nevertheless. “Some will celebrate the tea farmers, others the tea drinkers: we’ve decided to do both. Celebrating the hands that bring us our tea is pivotal in appreciating this industry and everything that goes into it.”

With the UK Tea Infusions Association, the Canadian organisation has started a campaign – ‘We raise our cups to tea drinkers everywhere’ – and will be unveiling the second part of the acknowledgement, “raising cups to all the hands that bring us our tea,” on the 21st, says Weber.

Find out more about International Tea Day.

This article originally appeared in AUSTCS enews 19 May 2020. Mailchimp no longer allows external links to the original newsletter.