Happy Tsagaan sar!



Tsagaan sar holiday table



It’s a holiday here in Mongolia!   I’ve adapted a document that was sent around explaining a bit about the holiday and have included that below.  What I’ve learned is that Santa (or a version of Santa) is alive and well during Tsagaan sar along with New Year’s trees (that look a lot like Christmas trees to me).  Practically what it means is that nothing is open for 3 – 4 days.  We’ve all made our supply runs in preparation – I’m certain I’ll have a story or two to share.

Here are some basics on Tsagaan sar from a Mongolian colleague: 

The New Year in Mongolia is called Tsagaan sar which translates as the White Month. Mongols believe white symbolizes happiness, purity and abundance of milk products. Some researchers believe that the lunar calendar was invented by the nomadic tribes of Central Asia.

New Year’s Eve in Mongolia is called ‘битүүн’-the last dinner of the old year. One must eat all the traditional dishes that evening:  boiled lamb or beef, a huge variety of milk products, buuz and desserts. Many families have the tradition of placing coins inside the buuz/bansh. Whoever bites into the buuz/bansh with the coins will have good luck. At the end of the evening everyone’s stomach is fully satisfied.

The following morning everyone rises bright and early according to tradition. People walk outside of their house to the correct direction, which is indicated in their horoscope of the year. This symbolizes that the destiny of each person is directed correctly for the upcoming year. Then family members gather at the eldest in the family and greet each other wishing a very happy New Year. It is the very first greetings Mongols address each other with in the New Year.

At sunrise of the new day the host and his guests dress in new dell and greet each other in a special manner. This ritual is called ‘золгох’-zolgokh. First, the eldest is greeted by youngest. The older person puts his hands palms down on the hands of the younger one and both pronounce traditional good wishes and rub cheeks. The Mongolian traditional kiss is a smell on either side of the face. Old people smell as a greeting, not kiss. Even if New Year celebrations are over, friends and relatives meeting for the first time that year greet each other in this manner.

Gives a whole new meaning to "smell you later." (ok - I added that last bit myself)