Oh, I love the movies! Don’t you? We learn so much. Sometimes we learn things that are not correct. Like pinky up. Where did we even get such an idea? Is there a fact to the fiction we have watched on the screen? I sat at my grandmother’s table with her bone china teacup in my hand, my pinky extended. I was five years old, What did I know? I knew Shirley Temple did it, so why shouldn’t I?
The power of the pinky finger?
Do you do it? Have you ever? It does have a feeling of prestige. There you are sitting at the table, teacup in hand and that pinky seems to go up. But, it makes no sense for it to be proper. At one moment, it was just that. Prestige.
As I write this I’ve learned over grabbed my cup to see what feels best. I like to have a good grip on my cup, nowadays. It feels better with all fingers on deck. You try.
There are a lot of ideas that swirl around the idea of where the pinky up came from. We will discuss a few of them. Some touch in some sensitive areas. No touch in fact. Like the story of the emperor boiling water and a tea leaf falling in. The first cup of tea was born. It’s all speculation. Tales and stories passed down for generations.
The one thing we know for sure is that pinky up is a faux pas and most if not all etiquette teachers will tell you: “no”.
Imagine that small digit on your hand getting so much attention. Why is the pinky finger so important? Well, without that fifth digit on your hand you would lose 50 percent of the gripping power of your hand.
The pinky finger is not protected on one side and making it susceptible to injury. That makes the pinky pretty important for its strength and its needed protection. One fall or injury and you have lost half of strength.
That strength is better off needed holding my teacup, than sticking up in the air.
When most people think of “tea” they think of black tea or green tea prepared with leaves and shoots of the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal Teas, however, can be an infusion or blend of various leaves, fruits, bark, roots, or flowers from any number of thousands of species of delicious or healthful plants. At our Core, we are an Herb Company and we LOVE HERBAL TEAS!
The symbolization of the pinky finger
We have this powerful little finger that sits on the end of our hand, unprotected. The pinkie or pinky finger.
Why do you put your little finger out when drinking tea?
Did you see a movie and think it looked regal? Did you grow up like I did thinking it was “the right thing to do”? If you did then you are in the right place. Most of us believed it was the right thing to do, so we just did it.
Most of us believed it did make us appear somewhat royal. There are so many rumors surrounding why the pinky finger is up. many of those rumors involve status, superstitions, and manners.
I pinky promise!
Pinky promises were promises kids made to each other. These promises were to keep a secret. They would wrap each of their pinks around each other and shake them one time and say “I pinky promise”.
How did the pinky finger get its name?
The pinky comes from the Dutch word pink. Pink in Dutch means little finger. 1808 is the earliest record of use for the term “pinkie” in Scotland.
What does the pinky finger symbolize?
For some people, the pinky finger is an indication of intuition, fast intelligence, and quick communication. There are some graduates that wear a ring on their pinky finger that was given as a present.
The pinky has always been a bit of a fascination with people. I generally point things out on the computer with my pinkie finger. There are several ideas of the power and presence of that little digit at the end of our hands. The pinky finger.
One fun story about the pinky finger is its association with Greek mythology. Hermes was a trickster who had impeccable communication skills. He also traveled effortlessly throughout his world. The other gods with similarities are Liki and Thorth. The thing these gods had in common with your pinky finger. They are both short.
Gokyuzyo translates literally to "The Highest Grade" in Japanese. One of the best green teas from a favorite in my cup.
What does it mean when you stick your pinky finger up when drinking tea?
Many of the hand signs that we use do not mean the same thing in other countries or simply with other cultures. I searched the internet and some history books to find some interesting facts and ideas. I learned about why we used to put our pinkies up when drinking tea.
In Japan, the raising of the pinky finger indicates that she is another man’s wife, mistress, or girlfriend. Or a combination of the three.
In China, raising the pinky finger has that meaning of the person it is directed to is a loser.
Raising the pinky finger while drinking can mean a sign of elitism or liberalism.
The internet world went crazy when Barack Obama was photographed drinking from a cup. With his pinkie finger up. They even went as far as to revoke his “man card”.
There was a time in history when people ate with their fingers. There were no utensils, so the pinky finger was kept extended to keep grease off of that finger. That finger was used to dip into the spices to add to their foods. This way the spices would not get into the teacup.
Similar is by extending the pinky finger it kept that finger out of the spices and food and kept it clean. Don’t be rude by getting that pinky soiled.
May have been part of the knighthood in the middle ages. Does anyone see a bunch of knights drinking with their pinky out? Someone better give Barak his man card back. (See Above)
After the 1750’s teacups developed handles, for women who were too weak and did not want to burn their hands. The pinky was lifted to make sure it did not get burned.
In eras long past, people of the lower class ate with all five of their fingers. It’s been noted that those of upper class standing only ate four, leaving the pinky, you guessed it. Extended.
So many reasons why. Even our own bodies will seem to involuntarily put the pinky up when sipping a cup of tea. If you do not put a conscious effort into “where is my pinky”. You may look down and see that your pinky finger is off doing its own thing extended into the air.
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Did the pinkies up have sexual connotations?
As we continue on learning more about having a pinky up while drinking tea. We enter into a more colorful section of ideas on why a pinky finger may be extended. While none of the history of the WHY we hold our pinky finger up can be positively explained. They suggested whys and hows give us a look at the past. Learning from the past allows us to make better decisions in the future. Maybe not so much in how to hold your teacup but it sure does in other things.
So why is the pinky finger held up while drinking tea part Deux:
The feeling of being superior or of the high class was always the thought behind pinkies up. Being of the high class did not make you immune to certain things, including affairs and diseases.
Using the pinky finger to dip into spices was considered an act of sensuality and the priest did not like it. This was during the 16th century. It was considered a sign of lust.
Women used the pinky finger to point out their lovers at social gatherings
The pinky would be extended while drinking tea if the person had syphilis. This used to be a common disease among people of days of old.
Conclusion
So after all this, are you sure why you raise your pinky finger? I know I’m not. In reality, it is unclear why we have put our pinky fingers up when holding a teacup. It’s actually easy to do and almost feels like that is what the pinky finger should be doing.
Etiquette experts say a flat-out NO to extending the pinky finger while drinking tea.
