Чай в языке и культуре Русского Севера

In the work on the material of vocabulary, as well as rituals, beliefs and folklore of the Russian North, the symbolics and ritual functions of tea and tea drinking in folk culture are reconstructed. The place of tea in the diet, the organization of tea drinking are considered; reveals the parameters by which the quality of tea is assessed and functions of tea in family rituals. Drinking tea in folk culture acquires a special ceremoniality and often performs the functions of social regulation: social skills are tested during tea drinking and social relations are built. In family rituals, tea takes on the symbolic functions of wine and beer, bread and bread and salt, forming a functionally close “tea-sugar” pair. Often, tea is opposed to bread as an empty and non-nutritious product, a symbol of luxury and excess.