International Tea Day is celebrated on 15 December. Statistically, tea is the most popular non-alcoholic drink in the world after fresh water. Tea warms us, when it is cold, refreshes -- when it is hot, uplifts when we are upset and calms when we are agitated - as William Gladstone (1809-1898), the English writer and public official noted. It is quite natural that a great number of passionate tea drinkers, as well as the product producers, established a holiday -- The International Tea Day. Tea Day is celebrated mostly by the countries with economy depending on tea production: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania.
This day is not yet widely celebrated in Russia, hence there is no doubt about the popularity of the fragrant drink in our country.

Today, on the International Tea Day, the column "Exhibit in Detail" features musical automaton "Russian Girl Serving Tea", created circa 1892 in France by artisans Leopold Lambert and Emile Jumeau.

This musical automaton in the form of a girl figure is fixed on rectangular wooden stand. The girl wears a kokoshnik and a dress that resembles a Russian pinafore dress (sarafan -- sleeveless dress worn by Russian peasant women); her long brown hair is braided. The musical mechanism with sound comb, pinned cylinder and spring drive is mounted in the stand. When the mechanism is activated, the melody of the French patriotic song "Marche Lorraine" (March of Lorraine), written by the composer Louis Ganne in 1892, is played.

There are other tea-related exhibits in the museum Collection repository as well. The section “Decorative Arts and Jewellery” features various items related to tea drinking - tea pairs, tea glasses and glass holders, teapots and sugar bowls, jugs and teapots, made by Russian and Western artisans from multifarious materials and using a variety of techniques.

Thematic photo album dedicated to the International Tea Day is posted in the museum Photo Gallery.

Story about tea and tea drinking traditions in Russia is in the "Audio Stories" column.

Ref.: Teaxy.ru - website "About tea and everything connected with it"