Lisu customs and habits

LiSu is an ethnic group formed by the fusion of ancient Qiang people and ancient Di people south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and some indigenous people on the Yunnan Plateau. It is also one of the unique ethnic groups in Yunnan, China. They mainly live in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture and Weixi Lisu Autonomous County in Yunnan Province. The rest are scattered in Kunming, Lijiang, Baoshan, Diqing, Dehong, Dali, Chuxiong and other prefectures and counties in Yunnan and Xichang, Yanyuan, Muli, Dechang, Panzhihua and other counties in Sichuan. They also live in Myanmar, and a few are in Thailand. The Lisu people also have their own language and writing, and the Lisu language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family. Lisu language is commonly used in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. Due to scattered residents, the language is also divided into several dialect areas.

The Lisu economy is dominated by agriculture. The staple food is corn, buckwheat, etc. I like to drink tea, drink, and eat heavy meat. Most of the houses are two-story buildings with dry railing bamboo and wood structures, and there are also bungalow-style wooden corrugated houses or wooden houses. Clothing varies from place to place. Most men wear linen long robes and knee-length black trousers. Wear a black, white or blue head. Most women wear right placket on top and pleated skirts on bottom. Wear a beaded hat "Ole" or a colorful head made of shellfish slices and coral beads.

According to the traditional habits of the Lisu people, houses must be built within one day, otherwise it will be considered unlucky. To ensure that the house is completed within one day, the owner must rely on the cooperation of his family, relatives and village neighbors, a form known in Su as "wao-claw". A few days before the house was built, the owner informed all relatives and friends. In advance, they gathered enough building materials, and then asked the wizard to choose an auspicious day. At that time, all the invited relatives, friends and neighbors would work together and the project would be completed within one day. Homeowners entertain relatives and friends depending on financial conditions. In some places, the houses and buildings are relatively simple, and they are basically small bamboo buildings. People living upstairs are usually separated into two compartments by bamboo fences. A fire pond is set up in the center of the two rooms, and tripods are prepared for cooking and heating the fire. At night, the whole family sleeps around the fire pond, where fires are made all year round. When a guest comes, the owner gives up the fire pond to the guest. The bamboo building is generally used for cattle, pigs and other livestock, and the bamboo building is surrounded by gardens for growing fruits, fruits, vegetables and the like.

This kind of bamboo building made by the Lisu people is simple and practical. It can prevent moisture and animals, and is easy to move and build. A new bamboo building will also be built within one day, otherwise it will be considered unlucky. When building, we used local materials and helped the whole village. Once the new bamboo building is completed. "The men, women and children in the village came to congratulate them. The master also warmly entertained everyone, put all kinds of food on the table, filled it with water and wine to express his gratitude to everyone. The men, women and children in the village drank heartily and sang and danced to their heart's content. For the Lisu people in Lijiang and other places, the buildings are mostly all-wood buildings, with chimneys made of square wood about one or two stands long; they are covered with wooden boards. At the same time, due to the influence of other ethnic groups, a small number of Lisu families also built houses with civil and brick-and-wood structures.

Lisu people generally have two meals and solar eclipses. I am still accustomed to the cooking method of cooking food in one pot. When cooking, first put the rice into the pot to boil, and change the water twice in the middle. When the rice is almost ripe, add green vegetables and cabbage until the vegetables are rotten. Usually, there are few dishes cooked individually. After the porridge with all meals is cooked, the whole family eats around the huotang. The rice used for porridge usually includes corn and buckwheat. Due to the fact that rice is grown less, rice is only used to make porridge during festivals or when receiving guests. The Lisu people living in Lijiang like to eat yin corn rice. The so-called yin corn refers to corn buns that have just matured in autumn. After removing the leaves, they are put into boiling water to boil, and then stored in the shade. When serving, rub off the corn kernels, pound them with a wooden pestle to remove the skin, and add green beans, pig's head or pork chops to cook over low heat to serve as a good dish. Most Lisu people like to eat popcorn made from corn.

The sources of meat of the Lisu people include family-raised pigs, cattle, sheep, chicken meat and hunted geese, rock sheep, mountain donkeys, bison, hares, pheasants and fish in the river. Most of the meat is eaten by putting salt on the meat, placing it in a fire pond for barbecuing and eating it. Barbecue meat is a traditional way of eating by the Lisu people. Whether it is pork, beef, chicken, or fish, you can cook it. This way of eating is delicious and crispy. This is due to the dietary characteristics of this nation that have long lived by hunting and mining. But the Lisu people do not eat buffalo, dogs, cats, or horse meat. Common vegetables include green vegetables, cabbage, radishes, taro, various melons, vegetables, and potatoes, supplemented by oranges, peaches, pears, and other fruits. Because the local area is rich in lacquer oil, all dishes are cooked with lacquer oil. Such as fried chicken with lacquer oil, stewed chicken with lacquer oil, boiled sweet wine eggs with lacquer oil, etc. Liqueur boiled with lacquer oil is considered to be a first-class food for pregnant women to replenish their deficiency.

Every family in the Lisu ethnic group keeps bees, ranging from 4 or 5 groups to more than a dozen groups. Every autumn, every family makes wine. In addition to corn and sorghum, the raw materials used also like to use barnyard grass, and barnyard grass wine is the best. When making wine, the raw materials are first mashed, steamed, put into the wine medicine and sealed in the jar. After 10 days, they can be unsealed and drunk. The alcohol is not high, light and mellow, and has the effect of quenching thirst and refreshing. Lisu people also like to drink sesame seed tea. When making sesame seed tea, first put the sesame seeds into a pot and roast them with low heat, then mash them and put them into boiling water to boil for 6-7 minutes. Remove the residue, and put the soup into the pot, add salt or sugar to boil before drinking. Sesame tea is white, and drinking more can be as intoxicating as drinking alcohol. The Lisu people in the Gongshan area are influenced by the local Tibetan lifestyle and also have the habit of drinking butter tea.

Lisu men and women have the custom of chewing cigarettes and drinking alcohol. When guests come, they must present tobacco; men and women seeking a partner must throw tobacco boxes as a token. This shows the position of tobacco in the lives of Lisu people. When chewing tobacco, first put the tobacco into your mouth, then put some black colloidal substance made from betel root, plum bark, and chestnut leaves and hydrated lime and chew slowly. Soon, his lips looked like coconut red. Nowadays, some women believe that chewing tobacco is unrefined and quitting smoking has gradually become their conscious behavior.

Lisu people used to be a popular worship of nature that all things have spirits, and all traditional festivals are closely related to religious sacrificial activities. The Lisu people determine solar terms by observing phenological changes. The largest folk festival is the annual Koshi Festival (New Year's Festival). Chinese New Year is also eaten during the New Year's Day. In order to pray for a good harvest of the grain, every family must take out part of the rice cake or waxy corn cake that was first pounded and hang it on a tree as a sacrifice. A small bowl is also allocated to feed dogs, because folklore says that dogs brought grain to the world; in some places, the first steamed cake is also fed to cattle to thank the cattle for helping humans cultivate the land. On the first day of the New Year's Festival, the whole family had dinner and drank "face wine" together.

"Tien Wine", also known as Double Cup Wine and Tongxin Wine, is a playful way for Lisu men and women to have social scenes. They often hide the high-concentration wine they brew at home and reserve it for guests. As for large occasions with banquets and songs, temporarily brewed water wine is often drunk to avoid getting drunk. The more primitive containers used by the Lisu people when drinking alcohol are bamboo tubes, but now ceramic utensils are sometimes used. When drinking, the owner takes a bamboo tube of wine and drinks it face to face with the guest. No wine should overflow and drip, otherwise you will have to start over. Drinking "face-to-face wine" will never avoid suspicion between men and women. It is normal for couples to have a banquet together, husbands and other women to drink face-to-face, and wives to have a "double cup" with other men. Outsiders who are new to the city are often overwhelmed by the local people until their faces feel hot and bloated, but the owner just seems indifferent. It turned out that when both the host and guest drank "face-to-face wine", the owner was afraid that the wine would overflow, and the mouth of the barrel was slightly tilted in the direction of the guest. The guest was afraid of the wine spilling, so he naturally opened his mouth to welcome the wine, but the owner drank less alcohol. However, this kind of drinking scene is indeed unique and rare, and often leaves a good impression on guests.

"River Sand Buries Lovers" is the most distinctive Lisu youth traditional festival and courtship activity in Fugong County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is held around the fourth and fifth days of the first month every year. At that time, young men and women will happily gather along the Nujiang River to sing and dance. With the help of his companions, he also dug a sand trap on the beach, carried the person he loved to "bury", pretended to be very sad and crying bitterly, sang funeral songs and danced funeral dances. After a while, he pulled out the person he liked. They believe that through this activity, on the one hand, it can show the sincerity and depth of the feelings between lovers, and on the other hand, it can bury the "death of death" attached to the loved one, so that the loved one can live a healthy and healthy life.

Lisu folk weddings and funerals require slaughtering sheep (or cattle), killing pigs, and feasting guests. When young men and women hold weddings, both men and women must hold a banquet. When the woman arrives at the door of the man's house, the man also sets up a banquet at the door and invites the accompanying guests to drink wine. After the wedding, the groom and bride exchanged bowls and chopsticks to express their mutual respect and love in the future. When treating guests, you are willing to put pork, mutton (or beef) into a pot and cook it. If there are dignitaries, we will also cook suckling pigs to entertain them, and it is best to use piglets that have just been weaned for two months. Guests should eat their own dishes. During the meal, the guests and guests all sit on the ground, share the meat, and take the rest away. When some Lisu people in Fugong encounter guests, the owner often puts walnuts, ginger peppers, garlic, etc. into bamboo tubes, mashes them, and puts them into wooden bowls and adds salt to entertain guests.

The Lisu people in the Nujiang region have a special custom-spring bathing. At that time, most young men and women will bring their luggage, food and tableware to the hot spring to bathe. The water of the Xiulan River in Lijiang area will become turbid three days before or after the beginning of summer. It is said that it contains a large amount of minerals and can cure stomach problems when drinking it. When cooking with the water of the Xiulan River, the rice will be red and delicious. A steam bath will also be taken at that time, which can cure rheumatism after bathing. During the bathing period, everyone picnics together. It is a large-scale suburban hunting picnic activity among the Lisu people. The Lisu people also celebrate the Harvest Festival, which is mostly held during the ninth and tenth months of the lunar calendar every year. The biggest activity of the Harvest Festival is that every family makes wine and tastes new ones. Some families even go directly to the fields to harvest and cook wine, accompanied by singing and dancing. They often stay up all night long and enjoy themselves before leaving.