We are just finishing up one of the biggest holidays in Mongolia- Tsagaan Sar (White Month/New Year). An interesting holiday- if it was compared to an American one, you might mix Halloween and Thanksgiving...You end up going to many different houses (we went to 6 so far)and repeat a number of traditional acts. You start off with a traditional greeting- hello (resting well) and then ask if they are having a happy Tsagaan Sar. You do this greeting while doing a funky two armed handshake...where the older person will give you kisses on your cheeks or get a nice sniff of your scent. Then you might get offered some snuff- take a sniff and give it back. (If you sneeze that means the snuff is the good stuff)There are usually three shots of vodka offered at every house and toasts with each shot...these shots can add up- and if you stay a while at the house, you could end up doing 3 more shots with the arrival of the next guests...(this can add up- but if you are under the age of thirty you can sometimes deny the shots by saying you are too young- vodka is for older people that need it :)) At every house you are offered Buuz. They are like steamed meat dumplings. You are always offered milk tea and sometimes juice or a different homemade alcohol. The more you can eat at each house the better your life will be- (or something along those lines...)At the end of your stay you usually are offered two or more presents...(you can also be given a present upon arrival- like a small crisp bill) You say thank you and goodbye, and on to the next house or home for a nap...There are some other traditional rituals- but the ones I mentioned are some of the main ones that usually occur at every house...
Our visits: One host spilled three shots of vodka on his lap- I imagine it burned a little...that's strong stuff...we were given presents at every house- this has been difficult for us because most of the people we visit do not have much money- we wore traditional clothing to most places we went- I have an awesome traditional hat that says skateboarding is life on a part of it (I guess it was the only material that could be found to make it) At our first house visit, Steph stood up and her traditional skirt dropped to the floor (the button was broken)she didn't even realize it had fallen until I started laughing- good thing she had tights on! Oh yeah, on the top of each table in most houses is a big cooked sheeps butt. yum yum.
