- Tsagaan Sar
Tsagaan Sar ( _mn. Цагаан сар, "white moon") is the
Mongolia nlunar New Year 's festival. It is often celebrated around the same time as the ChineseNew Year (sometimes a lunar month later). However, the Mongolian Tsagaan Sar is culturally more related to the the Tibetan New Year orLosar than to the Chinese New Year. Both Tibetan Calendar and Mongolian Calendar are slightly modified version of the traditional Chinese Calendar.The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the
winter solstice . In 2008, White Moon falls on Feb. 8th. Tsagaan Sar is one of the most important Mongolian holidays. [“Tsagan Sar: The Mongolian Lunar New Year”. Mongoluls. 2007. March 13th, 2008.Around the New Year people greet each other by saying 'Amar mend uu?' or 'Amar bain uu?', a very formal greeting which one says to one's elders. Mongolians also visit friends and family on this day and exchange gifts. A typical Mongolian family will meet in the home dwelling of the eldest in the family. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival, Mongolians grasp them by their elbows to show support for them. The eldest receives greetings from each member of the family except for his spouse. During the greeting ceremony, family members hold long pieces of colored cloth called "
khadag ". After the ceremony, the family eats buuz and drinks airag, (fermented mare's milk) and exchanged gifts.The day before Tsagaan Sar is called "Bituun". On this day, families gather together--immediate family usually, in contrast to the large feast gatherings of White Moon day--and see out the old year. Traditionally, Mongolians settle all issues and repay all debts from the old year by this day. Mongolians eat their fill at the Bituun meal, as tradition says that if you are hungry after Bituun you will be hungry for the whole coming year.
Traditional food for the festival includes a grilled side of sheep and minced beef or minced lamb steamed inside pastry, a dish known as
buuz . horse meat and traditional cookies. Tsagaan Sar is a lavish feast, requiring preparation days in advance, as the women make large quantities of buuz and freeze them to save for the holiday.External links
*"Mongolia Today" magazine [http://www.mongoliatoday.com/issue/2/tsagaan_sar_1.html article] on the White Moon festival
* [http://www.e-mongol.com/mongolia_culture.htm Web page] on White Moon that includes "Do not" list for travelers
* [http://mongoluls.net/tsagaansar.shtml Influence] ofshamanism andBuddhism on Tsagaan Sar traditionsReferences
"Tsagan Sar: The Mongolian Lunar New Year”"
*Mongoluls. 2007. March 13th, 2008.“Festivals”.
*Asia-planet. 2002. March 11th, 2008.
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