The Tsagaan Sar – Customs Description

The Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian: Цагаан сар, white moon white or month) is the lunisolar Mongolian New Year. Often celebrated in the same period around Chinese New Year, although it may be a movement of a lunar month, but the Mongolian Tsagaan Sar is more closely related to cultural aspects, the Tibetan New Year, Losar said.

Customs

The Feast of the White Moon, or Tsagaan Sar is celebrated two months after the first new moon after the winter solstice, and is one of the most important Mongolian holiday . Tsagaan Sar in 2009 it fell on February 25, while in 2010 will be February 14.

During the New Year, families are burning candles on the altar, symbolizing the Buddhist enlightenment. The traditional greeting during the holidays is Amar mend uu? or Amar bain uu?, very formal sentence which usually is targeted to individuals and older relatives.

During the greeting, it is customary to shake the elbows of the person with whom you are speaking as a sign of support, also the elderly receive the salute from all other family members, with the exception of its partners. During holidays people do visit their relatives, meeting usually at the home of the oldest member of the family and exchange gifts.

The typical dress is made from Mongolian national costume in all its parts, and during the ceremony of greeting the family members are holding long pieces of colored cloth that they call khadag. After the ceremony, the whole entire family is devoted to a meal consisting of rice and curd, milk and a traditional drink called Airaga.

The day before Tsagaan Sar is called Bituun, a word that translates as “Black Moon” and indicates the new moon phase, followed by shined (crescent moon), the Tergel (full moon) and the Huuchid (waning moon). On the day of Bituun people are dedicated to house cleaning, while shepherds farms reorganize and clean the barns to house the new year with a cool breeze.

The same day also burn candles as a symbol of samsara and enlightenment of all sentient beings, they also bring three pieces of ice outside the door of each house, as there is the belief that the deity Palden Lhamo is usual visit people’s homes and his horse watered with melted ice.

At night families gather together and give the restricted goodbye to the old year by eating dairy products and a dish called buuz. Traditionally, this day is also used to pay all the debts accumulated in a year and do business.

Typical foods eaten during the holiday season are mostly composed of rice with curd (tsagaa-цагаа) or raisins (berees-бэрээс), traditional biscuits that are arranged in a pyramid to symbolize Mount Meru or the kingdom of Shambhala, a dish known as buuz (made with beef or mutton chopped, steamed into the pasta with grilled lamb), horse meat and traditional biscuits.

The Tsagaan Sar celebration of the organization requires a preparation of days because of the large quantities of food preparation, which is frozen before being consumed together with extended family.

Source: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsagaan_Sar

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