Cultural Corner: Tsagaan Sar
Our grand plans for Tsagaan Sar have fallen through. On Monday of this week, I started to experience spasms in my back which is the sign that it is going to shut down for an undetermined time. Today is Friday and I cannot sit or stand for very long , but I can walk fairly well. I was able to find only one Deel that would fit me. It was not me at all. It was a silky royal blue with shiny Mongolian knot patterns and a bright yellow sash/belt. Mongolian men would have no problem wearing it. They like wearing bright shiny clothes. Sorry, not me though. I am a subdued earth-tone type. I was saving this post for after we experienced the holiday, but since I will be laying on the couch binge watching Star Trek, here it was I have read and have been told about the big holiday Tsagaan Sar.
Tsagaan Sar” literally means “White Month.” It is the celebration of the Lunar New Year for the Mongols according to their centuries-old lunar astrology. This year Mongolians celebrate Tsagaan Sar between 15-18 February. Date changes every year. It has ties to China and Buddhism.
The Mongols have celebrated Tsagaan Sar since the Great Mongol Empire for passing the harsh winter in good health and is considered as the beginning of spring. Moreover, the Tsagaan Sar is a big family celebration as everyone gather at their elders, grandparents or parents home to greet and wish well for the coming year. The date of the celebration is determined by Buddhist Monks and is according to the lunar calendar. This year the first day of Tsagaan Sar occurs on Feb 16th. It is a non-working public holiday nationwide.
In the city, the first 3 days of Tsagaan Sar is a holiday, though it extends as long as 15 days for nomads in the countryside, and after Day 15 the new year is no longer new, and everyone stops visits and festivities and goes back to the normal, ever busy lifestyle. Families, especially women prepare for Tsagaan Sar celebration at least one month prior by cleaning houses, yards, gers to meet the New Year fresh as well as making hundreds to thousands of buuz, a type of Mongolian steamed dumpling filled with meat.
THE BIG FEAST TABLE
Mongolians have a tradition to greet the new year with big feast table symbolizing prosperity and success in the coming year. The table should be ready on Tsagaan Sar Eve (Bituun). In the evening of Bituun, families gather together and one needs to eat until completely full. Having just a little bit is unacceptable. This symbolizes plenty of food and full belly in the coming New Year. It is believed that staying hungry on this day will predict hunger for the whole family so that everyone makes sure that one has eaten.
Main foods on the Tsagaan sar table are uuts (lamb loin), cookie set plate and buuz while main drinks are milk tea, airag (mare`s milk), seabuckthorn juice and vodka. Also, the feast table is usually accompanied with the appetizers, salad plates, candies and dairy products. Every family first offer milk tea and dairy products to their visitor and then buuz. Also, all guests must taste the uuts (lamb loin) and cookie set plate. In other words, the more you visit, the more you will eat. I was warned that because of my size, I would be expected to eat a lot. That expectation would have been in every house we visited which could have been as many as three in one day.
GREETINGS
In the first morning of Tsagaan Sar people get up before sunrise, put on their new, clean deel, the traditional costume of Mongolia and walk in directions according to the zodiac to start the new year in right direction. Men climb to the nearest mountain to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. Women make milk tea and offer it to earth for good luck
People greet each other in a unique way. The younger people bow to the elderly and cross their hands under the hands of the elderly and say: AMAR BAINA UU meaning “how are you.” Then the older family member kisses the other on the both cheeks. Sometimes they greet with an offer of "Hadag", a blue scarf as token of respect. Also, it is common to greet the elders with money.
The guests have a seat and exchange snuff-bottles in greeting. With these traditional New Year greetings, they encourage each other. A younger person starts the greeting with snuff-bottle by loosening the cap of the bottle by turning it to right three times and snuffing it first and offer it to elder person with the right hand. In return, elder person gets own snuff-bottle loosens the cap as well and exchange. Then the family you visit give presents to you, thanking for your visit.
THINGS TO AVOID
To get water from springs or rivers. Water buckets should be filled beforehand.
Sew old clothes. Only sewing of new clothes is welcomed and seen as good luck for New Year.
To borrow and lend.
To cry and quarrel. It is believed that whole year will be bad with disputes.
To throw away ash from the stove. Cleaning should be done on Bituun.
To say bad words, to hunt, to kill an animal.
To greet elders and relatives on the 7th day of New Year, as this is considered a black day.
To greet one’s husband or wife. Doing so might end in split and become enemies.
To overdrink and be disrespectful at the feast table.
To carry knife. This means that someone came with bad intentions.
Tsagaan Sar” literally means “White Month.” It is the celebration of the Lunar New Year for the Mongols according to their centuries-old lunar astrology. This year Mongolians celebrate Tsagaan Sar between 15-18 February. Date changes every year. It has ties to China and Buddhism.
The Mongols have celebrated Tsagaan Sar since the Great Mongol Empire for passing the harsh winter in good health and is considered as the beginning of spring. Moreover, the Tsagaan Sar is a big family celebration as everyone gather at their elders, grandparents or parents home to greet and wish well for the coming year. The date of the celebration is determined by Buddhist Monks and is according to the lunar calendar. This year the first day of Tsagaan Sar occurs on Feb 16th. It is a non-working public holiday nationwide.
In the city, the first 3 days of Tsagaan Sar is a holiday, though it extends as long as 15 days for nomads in the countryside, and after Day 15 the new year is no longer new, and everyone stops visits and festivities and goes back to the normal, ever busy lifestyle. Families, especially women prepare for Tsagaan Sar celebration at least one month prior by cleaning houses, yards, gers to meet the New Year fresh as well as making hundreds to thousands of buuz, a type of Mongolian steamed dumpling filled with meat.
THE BIG FEAST TABLE
Mongolians have a tradition to greet the new year with big feast table symbolizing prosperity and success in the coming year. The table should be ready on Tsagaan Sar Eve (Bituun). In the evening of Bituun, families gather together and one needs to eat until completely full. Having just a little bit is unacceptable. This symbolizes plenty of food and full belly in the coming New Year. It is believed that staying hungry on this day will predict hunger for the whole family so that everyone makes sure that one has eaten.
Main foods on the Tsagaan sar table are uuts (lamb loin), cookie set plate and buuz while main drinks are milk tea, airag (mare`s milk), seabuckthorn juice and vodka. Also, the feast table is usually accompanied with the appetizers, salad plates, candies and dairy products. Every family first offer milk tea and dairy products to their visitor and then buuz. Also, all guests must taste the uuts (lamb loin) and cookie set plate. In other words, the more you visit, the more you will eat. I was warned that because of my size, I would be expected to eat a lot. That expectation would have been in every house we visited which could have been as many as three in one day.
GREETINGS
In the first morning of Tsagaan Sar people get up before sunrise, put on their new, clean deel, the traditional costume of Mongolia and walk in directions according to the zodiac to start the new year in right direction. Men climb to the nearest mountain to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. Women make milk tea and offer it to earth for good luck
People greet each other in a unique way. The younger people bow to the elderly and cross their hands under the hands of the elderly and say: AMAR BAINA UU meaning “how are you.” Then the older family member kisses the other on the both cheeks. Sometimes they greet with an offer of "Hadag", a blue scarf as token of respect. Also, it is common to greet the elders with money.
The guests have a seat and exchange snuff-bottles in greeting. With these traditional New Year greetings, they encourage each other. A younger person starts the greeting with snuff-bottle by loosening the cap of the bottle by turning it to right three times and snuffing it first and offer it to elder person with the right hand. In return, elder person gets own snuff-bottle loosens the cap as well and exchange. Then the family you visit give presents to you, thanking for your visit.
THINGS TO AVOID
To get water from springs or rivers. Water buckets should be filled beforehand.
Sew old clothes. Only sewing of new clothes is welcomed and seen as good luck for New Year.
To borrow and lend.
To cry and quarrel. It is believed that whole year will be bad with disputes.
To throw away ash from the stove. Cleaning should be done on Bituun.
To say bad words, to hunt, to kill an animal.
To greet elders and relatives on the 7th day of New Year, as this is considered a black day.
To greet one’s husband or wife. Doing so might end in split and become enemies.
To overdrink and be disrespectful at the feast table.
To carry knife. This means that someone came with bad intentions.
Comments
Post a Comment