Culture | MONGOLIA
New Year Festival The Lunisolar
Before the end of the day on New Year’s Eve, all the business of the past year must be wrapped up, debts paid and good relationships restored.
The head of the family raises his hands to greet the first sunrise of the New Year.
In the new year, every person is greeted with: “May you be healthy and happy!”
“Let all be happy in the New Year, Let there be no suffering, Let there be no hatred.”
Intro
Tsagaan Sar (White Moon or White Month) is the Mongolian lunisolar New Year festival. For more than 2,000 years Mongolians have been celebrating Tsagaan Sar to mark the end of winter and beginning of spring. The lunar New Year is calculated on a lunar calendar, falling sometime between the end of January and start of March. However, it often occurs on the first new moon in February and marks the start of the “white month” - the name could originate from the white winter or the milk dishes - but no matter the origin, the color white symbolizes happiness and health.
As the celebration of new life, wealth and prosperity, Tsagaan Sar provides opportunity for people to gather with family and friends, celebrate the new year and exchange news and gifts. The holiday is celebrated for three days, and the elderly, most respected and closest family members are visited first. Families prepare for the holiday a month in advance by making plenty of food and gifts. In rural areas, due to distance and weather conditions, the celebrations at times can last longer than a month. Buddhist monasteries and temples hold rituals and services to pray for and bless the well-being of the worshipers. Tsagaan Sar provides a great opportunity to share the celebration of one of the most sacred holidays in Mongolia with nomads out in the steppes while enjoying the last of winter.
Eyes in | 44
The heat of the smoke should melt the icicles on the whiskers of the dragon.
Taboos of Tsagaan Sar:
Don’t call a man by his nickname, argue, hunt or kill cattle. Don’t eat before the host allows it. Don’t get drunk. Don’t wear a knife or weapon. Don’t stay the night.
Sources: Mongolia Today online and author T.Enkhbold
History
Tsagaan Sar coincides with other lunar New Year celebrations, like the Chinese New Year. However, Mongolians often deny any Chinese origin or influence. Because of the tradition and the religious connotations, the holiday was challenged by the communist government in the 1960s: The government transformed the holiday into Cattle Breeders’ Day, stopping official Tsagaan Sar celebration for years. In fact, the government checked on employee presence in workplaces to ensure the holiday was not being celebrated. This, however, did not stop celebrations, as families celebrated surreptitiously until the holiday was re-implemented by the government in the late 1980s. When the holiday resumed official practice, the festival easily continued to reaffirm kin ties with the same pre-revolutionary traditions, kept alive secretly for years.
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