Tsagaan Sar is the name of the Mongolian festival that happens at this time of the year. It means White Month, and for this traditionally nomadic culture celebrates the coming of spring after a hard winter. Like the Chinese and Tibetan calendars I’ve already shared this Lunar New Year, the Mongolian calendar has a 12-year-cycle represented by animals and this year is the White Iron Ox.* Tsagaan Sar is a festival of new seasons and new starts, with rituals conjuring peace and harmony. In this family-focussed time, old scores are settled, arguing is forbidden, cleaning is done and new clothes worn. Feasting is significant, with one of the many traditional foods being these intricately folded steamed dumplings, called Buuz, which are made and eaten in their thousands. This year, Covid-19 has curtailed celebrations with a strict national lockdown in place. So the ritual greeting of Zolgolt will have been much restricted. Zolgolt is performed among family members but not spouses - which would be bad luck - and goes: “Two people hold both their arms out, and the younger person's arms are placed under the elder person's and grasps their elbows to show support for their elder. The two people then touch each other's cheeks, usually accompanied with the phrase Amar mend üü (Mongolian: Амар мэнд үү), meaning "Are you well and peaceful?’”** I’m not sure how well a Zoom Zolgolt works…? News suggests vaccinations are due to start next week, though it seems a relatively small number for now. Fingers crossed for elbow hugs before too long. And for as much wellness and peace as can be. Happy New Year. #TsagaanSar #MongolianNewYear #LunarNewYear #Zolgolt #Covid19 #VaccineEquity #TheYearOfYears Sources: Article on @travelbeginsat40 http://bit.ly/3s12PCl Blog of @gobicashmere.international https://bit.ly/3u5uNPm *Year calculation: http://bit.ly/3jWmJf0 has maths on how to work out the colour and element of the year. **Wikipedia Image: colourful traditional cartoon drawing - two children and a woman in traditional dress make Buuz dumplings and a third child drinks a milky looking drink and holds a paper fan. (As always, love to know more & be corrected where wrong!) (at Mongolia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXxA3wlGKO/?igshid=ze07uin2azzf
