Life style : The History of Lisu alcohol

The First process of alcohol product       The process to make Lisu alcohol is not complicated at all. The ingredients of the Lisu alcohol include sticky rice and corn. The sticky rice will be combined with the corn and soak for 4 to 5 months. The rice and the corn that mix together will be fermented and alcohol will be produced by the soaking process.

The Second process of the alcohol product       The Lisu people will boil and then distills out the alcohol from the fermented rice corn mixture. The Third process of the alcohol product       Other than the first and second production processes, they can add certain herbs to the fermented mixture and produce herbal medicine which can be used for curing illnesses. The Lisu people will usually make this Lisu alcohol together with their family members. They believed that this alcohol can be served to relatives and friends when they come visiting. Serving them Lisu alcohol will signifies their form of kindness and hospitality to welcome visitors. While consuming the Lisu alcohol, the Lisu people would be able to gather together and share their joy and experience together with one another. Lisu alcohol also has great significance as an offering to their ancestors because the Lisu people believed that offering Lisu alcohol to the dead is a way to communicate with the spirits.       This Lisu alcohol has another use. It serves as an herbal medication which can be used to cure illnesses. The Lisu doctors will use the alcohol brewed and mix with other herbs to use it to cure sickness because the Lisu alcohol is very nutritious.

The ceremony and belief       Lisu believed that the alcohol is a pure and holy liquid which is a great source which is usually used during holy ceremonies. Traditional and sacred rituals hosted by the Lisu shaman will involve the use of Lisu alcohol to pray to the spirits during the rituals. Birth and Holiness of Alcohol       The Lisu people worship their ancestors and will serve alcohol to invite the ancestors to be a witness for the new born baby of the family. They believed that it is a respect to the dead to introduce new member of the family to them. The Lisu family will pour a mixture of water and the Lisu alcohol onto the new born baby. It is done because the Lisu people believed that this holy alcohol mixture will protect the baby from harm.

New Year festival       The Lisu people will celebrate their harvest of their cultivation during New Year. During New Year, Lisu people will sew and make new clothing for the family members to be worn during New Year ceremony. The purpose of the ceremony is to thank the god for protect their cultivation and land and to seek for continual blessings for the new coming year. They will offer food and the holy Lisu alcohol to the ancestors and other holy spirits in the village. Each household will use their own alcohol that they made during the ceremony. Funeral ceremony       The Lisu alcohol is also used in the funeral ceremony for the Lisu people. When a person dies, the relative of the dead will go into the forest to find suitable wood material to make coffin for the dead person. Before they make the coffin, the Lisu people will offer the Lisu alcohol to the holy God and spirits in the village to seek permission to make the coffin. This serves to protect the people making the coffin for the dead too. After which, the family of the dead will ask a man of no blood relation to carry the coffin to get cremated. Sustain their health by the alcohol’s herb       Lisu alcohol has medicinal properties which can be beneficial to our human skin and muscles which can absorb the nutrients of the alcohol readily. The herb to connect the simple fracture       Lisu people use herbs and combine it with their Lisu alcohol to make medicine which can be used to cure bone fractures. The herbs collected will be grind into small pieces and will mix with the alcohol. This special mix of medicine is believed to relax the muscle and relieve the pain of the fracture. This mixture can be consumed or applied on skin. Young children who do not con sume alcohol will use a cloth to soak into the mixture and apply it on the affected area. A fire will be set up to keep the cloth warm and it is very effective. The Herb for blood replenishment, vitamins and improve appetite       After giving birth, Lisu women have to consume herbs and Lisu alcohol that they brewed because they believed that the alcohol are useful to women and provide the nutrients for them. Expellants herb       When the Lisu people get bites from the poisonous snakes, they will apply the Lisu alcohol on the biting area to eliminate the venom. The alcohol also helps to relieve inflammation and burning pain caused by the venom. The Lisu alcohol also serves as an disinfectant and can be used to clean the wound or cuts.

The process to make the flour for fermentation from Herb The first step is making the flour for fermentation. Soak rice around 5-7 days until the rice swell and become fluffy. Dry the swell rice. Pound rice. The second step is preparing herbs. Clean the herbs. Pound and cut the herbs. Crush and dry away the herb smell. Boil the herbs until it macerates. Filter out the waste from boiling mixture. The Third step is kneading the flour for fermentation. Mix rice and herb together. Knead and make it flat. Put in the rice straws around 7 days since the flour has yeasts. Then, dry the flour and keep it in a basket or put on the shelf over the stove.

The equipment for boiling alcohol. A big stove A big steamer A big pan strings Wet pack The substratum that made from wood. Jar to put the alcohol Tray Mortar or grinder Jar The process to boiling alcohol. The first step is fermenting the corn’s alcohol. Boil corn until softens. Sieve the flour fermentation and grind.  Mix the flour and the corn together. Ferment the mixture in the jar and cover it. Leave it around 3 days. Move the jar a little and leave around 15 days, and then boil to get the alcohol.

The Second step is ferment the alcohol Put the water in the big pan and put the steamer on the pan. Put the substratum in the steamer Put the corn and flour mixture to fill ? of the steamer. Put the substratum to receive the alcohol in the steamer. Put the pan and put some water on it. Put the pan on the top of the steamer. Put the jar to for the alcohol that from the straw.

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