How Mongolians celebrate Tsagaan sar (White Month)

Tsagaan sar or White Month is one of Mongolia’s two major and long awaitedholidays, the other being Naadam in July.  Tsagaan sar or White Month, the first month of spring, has been one of themost important celebrations of the Mongols for thousands of years. This is a time of the year when the winter passesaway and the spring comes in. Tsagaan sar is a festival of white food (food with white color – milk and diary products, fermented mare’s milk etc.) Tsagaan sar represents a heartfelt spirit of people.On this day, people clean their body and mind from all bad things and start a new fresh clean life. Tsagaan sar is the day when people express respect to elder people and relatives, renew friendship and sympathy to each other and reconfirm family ties. 

Since the holiday means all relatives, neighbors, friends and guests will be treated to a lavish meal, women make more than a thousand or two buuz and dumplings. Ready dumplings are linedon wooden plates and put outside. The next day, frozen buuz are ready to be steamed. Families all across the country stock-up on food,diary products, mild milk vodka and other specialties for the occasion. The Tsagaan sar eve or the last day of winter is called “Bituun”, which means “full darkness” it is a single night when no moon is invisible in the sky. Beforehand, all the business of the past year must be wrapped up; debts paid and good relations restored. All the Bituun ceremony is supposed to start when it gets dark outside. The Bituun is mainly celebrated in close family. In the evening, all the family members gather, the women start to set the table.

With the sunrise, the greeting ceremony starts inside the family. The oldest person stays in “Hoimor” (ger’s northern side, the most respected place) and younger family members greet him or her first and then greet each other. The younger greets the older by extending arms with the palms up and holding the elder’s elbow from underneath. This greeting is called zolgoh.  Everybody greets each other except husband and wife, because they are believed to have become one person. Usually, people hold “Khadag” (holy scarf of blue silk with a spiritual meaning) in their arms. All of the first month of the New Year is considered a holiday and the visits and congratulations continue. It is necessary during that month to visit parents no matter where they live.
When the greeting ceremony is over, everyone sits behind the table and men starts exchanging “Khoorog” (a snuff bottle made usually semi-precious stone and filled with finely pulverized tobacco). The typical greeting words are “Daaga dalantai, byaruu bulchintai, sureg mal targan orov uu?” which can be translated as “Does your 2 year-old horse have enough fat on the wither (means good health) does your 2-year old yak have enough muscles (means good power), “did all your animals pass winter safety?” and “Sar shinedee saihan orov uu? Nas suuder hed hurev?”, which is used to ask an old person about her/his good health and age as people are proud of old age. Exchanging Khoorog means expressing friendly intentions to each other and is usually the starting point of introducing a stranger. Exchanging Khoorog creates a warm atmosphere between people and makes the start of a friendly talk that helps to learn the true heart of the stranger.