<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings about a topic . Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style . (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A tea party is a formal, ritualized gathering for the small meal called afternoon tea . </P> <P> Formal tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestige utensils, such as porcelain, bone china or silver . The table is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates . In addition to tea, larger parties may provide punch, or in cold weather, hot chocolate . The tea is accompanied by a variety of foods that are easy to manage while in a sitting room: thin sandwiches, such as cucumber or tomato, cake slices, buns or rolls, cookies, biscuits and scones are all common . </P> <P> The afternoon tea party was a feature of great houses in the Victorian and Edwardian ages in the United Kingdom and the Gilded Age in the United States, as well as in all continental Europe (France, Germany, and above all in the Russian Empire). The formal tea party still survives as a special event, as in the debutante teas of some affluent American communities . </P>

Who was the victorian tea party named after