圖騰的象徵
錫蘭茶的標誌和斯里蘭卡國家的代表圖騰非常相似，都是一個右前掌握著一把劍的獅子意象，到底代表著什麽呢？
常見的斯里蘭卡旗上看到的，獅子的四周有著四片菩提葉，分別代表著佛教的四無量心：慈，悲，喜，捨。而這隻斯里蘭卡獅，據説是一種生活在西元37000年前，特別存在於斯里蘭卡區域，因爲現代智人的興起而滅絕的傳説中的獅種。據説在Kuruwita這個地方還出土過2顆斯里蘭卡獅的牙齒！
而這個圖騰在1950年代逐漸成爲斯里蘭卡的象徵，有幾個神話在這個神秘的獅子背後：
- 斯里蘭卡的僧伽羅人源於西元前486年，第一位由印度到達斯里蘭卡的國王Vijaya的後代，而這位王遠古的先祖是獅子。（類似於華人認爲是炎帝和黃帝的子孫，是龍的後代的概念。）
- Vijaya王當初帶著一面獅子旗到斯里蘭卡，建立的王朝也以獅子做爲符號。
- 也有人認爲獅子旗是Kotte王朝的皇家標識。（但證據薄弱）
- 另一說獅子是傳説的英雄Dutugemunu王在抵抗侵略時，旗幟上的圖騰。 http://mahavamsa.org/mahavamsa/simplified-version/king-dutugemunu/
- 或是斯里蘭卡最後一個國王Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe (1798-1815)的旗幟圖騰。
不管如何，獅子所代表的就是斯里蘭卡的主體民族---僧伽羅人。
獅子握住的劍叫做Kastane，是斯里蘭卡傳統典禮上用的短劍，通常把柄會有細膩的紋飾或是珍貴的珠寶，是種尊貴的象徵。於是握住Kastane的獅子，就成爲了斯里蘭卡高貴的人民與國家的主權的象徵。所以說，錫蘭茶的獅子標誌可是整個國家在背後背書的意思呢！
19世紀末以前，斯里蘭卡是種咖啡的，在1852年才由英國茶農James Taylor把茶這種植物引進當時的英屬錫蘭；而1864年，蘇格蘭商人John Dodd也把茶樹由廈門引進臺灣。這些，就是另一段歷史了。
What Does the Totem Stand For?
The symbol of Ceylon tea is quite similar to the national totem of Sri Lanka. Both of them share the same image, the lion holding a Kastane in its right forepaw. Then, what does the image stand for?
In each corner of the lion symbol, the flag of Sri Lanka we often see has four Bo leaves respectively representing the four immeasurables Mettā (Loving-kindness), Karuṇā (Compassion), Muditā (Appreciative Joy), and Upeskhā (Equanimity) in Buddhism. It is said the legendary lion existed in Sri Lanka area in 37000 BCE, and the prehistoric subspecies of the animal was extinct because of the rise of the homo sapiens. Although the evidence is weak, two teeth of the lion thought have been found in Kuruwita, Sri Lanka.
With several myths behind the golden lion, the totem gradually becomes a national symbol in the 1950s:
- The Sinhalese of Sri Lanka are the descendants of the first king Vijaya, who arrived in the country from India in 486 BCE, and their original ancestor was a lion. (The concept is similar to that of a Chinese myth, which indicates Chinese are the descendants of Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang, and their far ancestor was a dragon.)
- King Vijaya first arrived Sri Lanka with a lion flag and his kingdom also used the lion as its symbol.
- It is said the lion flag is a royal banner of Kotte dynasty. (But the evidence is weak.)
- It is also said the lion is on the banner of legendary King Dutugemunu when he embarked the campaign to defeat the invasion. http://mahavamsa.org/mahavamsa/simplified-version/king-dutugemunu/
- Or, it is said the lion is the banner totem of the last Sri Lanka king Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe (1798-1815).
No matter what, the lion stands for the major population of Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese.
The elegant symbol holding by the Ceylon lion, Kastane is a traditional ceremonial short sword, usually decorated with precious jewelry and delicate hilt. Therefore, the Ceylon lion with a Kastane as a whole represents the people and the national sovereignty of Sri Lanka. In brief, the lion tea symbol implies the country's endorsement for its tea!
Sri Lanka people planted coffee trees before 20 century. In 1852 the British tea planter James Taylor brought tea trees to British Ceylon while 1864 the Scottish merchant John Dodd brought these from Xiamen to Taiwan. These are other historical tea stories waiting to be told.
Sources:
https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s15.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180204/funday-times/the-sri-lankan-national-flag-279417.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20120618005323/http://karava.org/the_lion_myth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_lion
http://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/object/silver-gilt-kasthane-sword-set-with-red-stones/
