Funny holidays - Firewater Day

Every calendar date has some kind of holiday, or even several at once; August 6 was no exception, because this day became the Day of Fire Water Anyone who has at least once read books or watched films about Indians knows that this is what they called alcohol, which literally burns the throat at the first sip Native Americans had a weakness for strong drinks and often became dependent on them Many are convinced that the Indians did not try alcohol until Europeans visited their continent This is one of the most common myths The taste of intoxicating drinks was familiar to them long before the appearance of uninvited guests The Indians made it based on berries, fruits and corn The local alcohol was not very strong North American Indians made beer from corn The indigenous people of South America used pineapples, honey and plums as raw materials for alcohol They had no tradition of drinking on holidays or indulging in a glass or two in the evenings after hunting to relax Alcohol was used exclusively during various rituals Europeans brought whiskey and rum with them to the continent Alcoholic drinks were widely used as an item for exchange for furs, skins, meat, and gold All this was reminiscent of “honest” transactions with the aborigines, who traded jewelry for mirrors and cheap stones Colonists also used alcohol to seal deals Even the most skeptical leaders became more accommodating after a couple of drinks There are also many stories about how Europeans deliberately drugged Indians in order to demoralize the enemy, or even completely destroy him while he was in a drunken stupor Whether this happened or not, this is still actively debated Only one thing can be said with absolute certainty: with the advent of Europeans, the Indians became acquainted with strong fiery water, which brought them a lot of trouble Unlike Europeans, alcoholism among Indians developed much faster For some, it was enough to try a few bottles to become dependent on fire water The Indians liked the cheerful effect that intoxicating drinks had This was partly due to the fact that strong whiskey and rum were a novelty for them They were not used to regularly drinking such drinks, so they easily became addicted Europeans were more seasoned in this regard They not only drank strong drinks from a young age at dinner, but also added wine to the local water, which they refused to drink in its “raw” form Also, some scientists argue that the Indians, due to their specific diet, did not have special enzymes in their blood that break down alcohol, thereby facilitating its rapid elimination from the body At first, the idea of ​​getting the local population drunk brought good results, but gradually the situation began to get out of control The number of crimes committed in a drunken stupor has increased In some states, the colonists took radical measures and banned the sale of alcoholic beverages to Indians at the legislative level Of course, many were selling firewater under the counter, but they had to be careful not to get caught by the authorities With the outbreak of World War I, Prohibition came into force Buying booze became problematic for the colonists themselves, but numerous gangster groups were actively involved in bootlegging and satisfying the needs of suffering drinkers