Tsghaan Sar (White Month) Mongolian New Year

Deel, the Mongol national costume on Tsghaan Sar.

The New Year celebration started last week and is still continued. The Mongolian Lunar New Year festival is called Tsghaan Sar, which means White Moon/Month. This year it was on the same day, February 14 with Chinese New Year, due to which many, unaware of the cultural difference, thought its same thing. Though its same New Year festival, but culturally different. Other than the coincidence of this year’s Tsghaan Sar and Chinese New Year, it was also on Valentine’s Day! So, people almost forgot Valentine’s Day here in Mongolia. What a beautiful celebration coincidence! All the happiness come together. I think they should not be all-together. We should celebrate more days of happiness, rather than having them all in one day.

Officially there are three days of Tsghaan Sar celebration holidays, but in countryside the greetings and visiting to relatives continue for almost a month. In Central Asia, Nawroz is the New Year festival, which is celebrated warmly in all Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and Iran. Hazaras in Afghanistan also celebrate Nawroz, with a mixed cultural and religious vigor. The Iranian Mullah-controlled culture has plagued everything with their theocracy. A purely religious version of Nawroz is the notion in Iran. While it has nothing to do with religion in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Making  Tsghaan Sar more clear to my Hazara readers, its celebrated here in Mongolia like Eid in Muslim countries, with three days of celebrations, meeting relatives.

I went to countryside with Baasandorj, the person with whom i had A Day With a Mongol Family. We celebrated with his family in Tuv Aimaq (Province). We left a Ulaanbaatur a day before Tsghaan Sar. The evening is called Bityy (last day of the year), when family members come together and eat as much as they can. Byyz is the favorite food of Tsghaan Sar, among others, mostly white-food (Tsghaan means White). Counting all the Byyz i ate during my two days with Baasandorj’s family, i reached about 80 Byyz in two days. I like it very much. Airq (fermented horse milk) is the common drink of Tsghaan Sar. I had Airq on Tsghaan Sar for the first time after arrival in Mongolia–almost five months now. It tastes like Doogh in Hazaragi. Its strong and makes feeling like drunk if you take too much. For non-Hazara readers, Doogh is like Airq, but made of sheep and goat milk, not horse’s. Its also strong and makes sleepy.

Byyz (Mantoo/Dumplings), Aruul (Qurood/Dried Yogurt) on Bityy night.

We ate too much will all family members of Baasnadorj on Bityy night. His mother had cooked 3000 Byyz for Tsghaan Sar. The Tsghaan Sar day starts with early in the morning prayers of the festival. Nomads go to nearby peak of mountain and say special prayers for the year. They wear “Deel” the Mongolian national costume on this day. After coming back from mountain, all the family members and relatives greet the eldest in the family. We wore “Deel” and started from the 95-years old grandmother of Baasandorj. “Amar Baina yy? Caixan Shinilg Baina yy?” are the traditional greetings. Members of family also pay some money to eldest and youngest of the family as gift. Its the same culture among Hazaras on Eid, when elders give some money to children.

It took half hour to greet all the family members starting from eldest. It may be mentioned that spouse do not greet each other. For greetings, both person take from elbows of each other and elders kiss the cheek of younger. After the greetings all family members start eating food, mostly Byyz, Airq, alcohol and dairy products. During all the day, other relatives come to greet each other. Generally younger head of the families come to elder head of families, like a younger brother from other village comes to his father or elder brother.

It was a great cultural learning during the two days of Tsghaan Sar celebrations with Baasandorj’s family. Besides helping in cultural understanding, it helps with learning Mongolian language fast when see special conversations in such celebrations.

The weather was very cold on Tsghaan Sar day. Everywhere was covered white with heavy snowfall the day before. Though Tsghaan Sar is literally a spring festival, but its cold. Or in other words, spring is cold in Mongolia. But the harsh winter is saying goodbye. Its getting cool now a week after Tsghaan Sar. Snow is melting from trees and roads with clear sunny sky every day.

Kid greeting his grandmother on Tsghaan Sar day.