Customs on the Mongolian Steppe

Welcoming guests

Mongolians have been welcoming guests since ancient times. The host of a meeting, whether it is a social group or a private meeting, always welcomes the guests from afar. Some people will wait by the roadside, some come on horseback, some come on motorcycles and jeeps, and on grand occasions, they will meet their guests in several echelons.

If you are traveling to the prairie, you will surely be a guest in the Mongolian yurts, the residence of the Mongolian people on the prairie, because this is the tradition of the Mongolian people from ancient times to the present day. When you come here, you can't help but praise the host's residence, "This is really a good place, the prairie's natural scenery is wonderful!" Or you'll use your improvised Mongolian to say, "Sainu! Sainu! Good!) Express your feelings, a Mongolian word out, the owner of the place will be heartily pleased.

When the grassland hosts welcome you into the yurt, the guests sit on the left side of the yurt in the same order. Generally, if you are a very honorable guest, the host will take the initiative to let you sit on the north side of the yurt (the west side of the yurt for men and the east side of the yurt for women). At this time, the housewife will put the sweet milk food, hand-steak meat in front of the guests, and then served a bowl of hot fragrant milk tea, guests to taste. Then in the greetings and laughter began to toast, the host hand holding the khada, holding a silver bowl, Qi Mei lifting plate, the wine in front of you. If the guests drink it all, the host will be very happy, and then the host and guests love to melt, the atmosphere will soon warm up; if you are not good at drinking, take over the silver bowl to taste a taste can also be. But it is best to drink the wine in the bowl, which expresses the host's respect and intimacy.

Hospitality

Here the host first to the guests poured on the new boiled milk tea, milk, cakes, fried rice and other tea for the guests to pressure hunger and thirst, and some also do some noodles, so that the guests ate a little less pad a frequency of congratulations? Then toast. By the host first with a small wine? (Wine cup) to the guests each toast a cup, which is the beginning of the toast. Then with a large cup (a little smaller than the silver bowl dedicated to the toast of the silverware) from the guests in the elderly to start, one by one; toast up to a certain number of cups will be played and sung for the guests to drink to cheer up; after the wine meal, the highest hospitality for the guests of the whole goat feast, followed by the back of the goat feast.

Magical yurts

If the grassland is the green sea, yurts are the white sails in the sea. As a unique building on the grassland, the yurt is both beautiful and practical, and its simple structure makes it easy to dismantle and transport.

The yurt has a simple structure, easy to dismantle and assemble, local materials, self-production and self-use, etc., very suitable for nomadic life, the yurt fully reflects the ingenuity of the nomadic people. In the sea-like green grassland, the starry yurts with white sails will make people realize the harmony between man and nature! The yurt is in the shape of a canopy, with a rounded peaked roof, surrounded by one or two layers of woolen felt, and supported by "hanas" and "urni poles" inside. "Hanah" is dozens of the same thickness, polished wooden sticks, connected by cowhide rope, forming a retractable net-like support. The "Uni pole" is an umbrella-shaped roof support with wooden sticks. At the top of the yurt, there is also a skylight, which provides both ventilation and light. The entire yurt is securely fastened with a number of woolen ropes to protect it from the wind.

Gorgeous national costumes

Mongolian costumes include clothes, belts, boots and headdresses, etc., which are well styled and beautifully decorated. Mongolian robe is the main clothing of Mongolian people. Mongolian robe body wide, long sleeves, the lower end of the non-open, high collar, clothing with the center circle, very adaptable to the vast grassland nomadic life in the cold and a coat multi-purpose needs. Belt is essential to Mongolia robe, belt generally made of silk, satin and other materials, up to several meters long, the color depending on the color of the robe. When men tie the belt, the robe upward, the hemline bundled shorter, that is, appear to be dry and elegant, riding or labor is also convenient. Women of the opposite, tie the waist when the robe must be stretched to show that the body of the slim and healthy. Wear Mongolia robe tie belt in addition to clothing needs, practical value is also very large, tied belt riding can keep the waist and ribs of the stable and vertical, winter can also keep warm.

The blessing of Chagansa Day

Mongolians call the first month of the year "Chagansa Day" (Chinese means "white month"); the Spring Festival activities on the steppe mainly include fire worship, birthday celebration, and worship. The main activities of the Spring Festival on the steppe are fire, birthday, New Year's Eve, etc., and from the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the first month (Chaganza Day) reaches a climax.

Fire festival

Mongolians have been welcoming the Spring Festival with a fire festival for a long time, because the burning fire symbolizes all the luck and good fortune in the year. In the past, the fire festival was more popular, and the date and method of the festival were different for each family. "Ha Ri Chuhuo" (poor people) generally in the waxing twenty-third fire, and "Tai Ji" (nobles) in the waxing twenty-fourth fire, some herdsmen tied with five small bundles of five-colored colorful silk reeds inserted in the tree outside the door, will be split into thin strips of quassia on the burning fire support The head of the family kneels on the mat at the main door in his gown and offers the breastbone of the sheep, wrapped in oil netting, to the sacred fire. The women then sprinkle wine and butter into the sacred fire and stand in order, bowing. Wealthy herdsmen make large fire offerings, sacrificing whole sheep and inviting their neighbors to tea and wine. Some of the sacred fire lit three days after not extinguished, three days in the field is not allowed to move, not allowed to roast feet on the sacred fire. At present, the traditional sacrificial fire in the new generation of herdsmen have rarely held, but in the grassland tourist spots and celebrate the happy days, people still point a bunch of bonfires to help.

Blessing of life

One of the main elements of herders' activities during the Spring Festival. The object of birthday wishes for the just "this year" of the elders. Wish life begins, first for 85, 73 old people wish life, time is generally in the waxing moon 25 or 26, waxing moon 27 to new year's eve of a few days, is for 61, 49 of the current year of the people wish life. To the elders to celebrate the birthday, the younger generation in addition to salute congratulations, but also give birthday gifts to show respect. The weight of the birthday gift, generally depending on the age of the birthday object.

New Year's Eve

The climax of the Spring Festival on the prairie, nearby herdsmen are to drink tea with each other, and then people help the old and young gathered in the home of the elders, New Year's Eve, "Nai Ri" (Banquet) or family members gathered together to watch television programs. Then the shepherds go to every house that invites them, and sometimes, because of the large number of households, the feast lasts all night.

New Year's Eve, the herdsmen's homes to put "flower plate" that is snacks, milk, candy, etc., neatly arranged in a large plate, the form of most of the cylindrical, but also square, a kind of each layer, very regular. This custom, not only in the herder's home has been retained, but also in the city of Mongolia home, also inherited this tradition.

New Year's greetings

The grandest activity of the Spring Festival on the grasslands, New Year's greetings in the first day of the first month of the morning when the sun begins to show, herders first sacrifice Ovoo, and then began to pay tribute to the New Year within the family, first of all, the younger generation to the elders greeted the kneeling, and then by the elders blessed the elders with a happy and long life. When paying homage to the New Year, the elders should be properly dressed, holding a hatta in their hands to carry out.

After the family worship, the herdsmen worship each other. Mutual worship, first to the home of the elderly, with the mutual worship, people automatically companion. Each to a family, to travel with the age of the person in order to enter. When paying homage, the herdsmen usually offer one or two odes or chants. For outstanding singers, the head of the household will hold up a plate of milk food with hada and offer his congratulations. The Spring Festival on the grasslands is rich in national characteristics, is the herdsmen after a year of hard work, singing and laughing moment.

Grassland Religion

Neimenggu Autonomous Region is also a variety of religions coexist in the ethnic areas, the existing Lamaism, Islam, Catholicism, Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, Han Buddhism and Taoism seven religions. Han Buddhism has a long history in our region, other religions have been introduced from the 17th century.

The Lamaism of Ximeng is Tibetan Buddhism Gelugpa, spreading more than 200 years of history. Before liberation, Ximeng has 192 Lamaism temple, lama 12,750 people, mostly distributed in the pastoral area of the Sumu. 1960 temple reduced to 102, lama 3542 people, in 1966 the temple reduced to 92, lama 2290 people. During the ten years of civil strife, the Party's policy of religious freedom was undermined, and the lamas suffered a great deal of impact, with the vast majority of temples destroyed and scriptures burned; the temples ceased their activities, with serious consequences. After the "Gang of Four" was crushed, especially since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, the government reaffirmed the policy of freedom of religious belief, and the lamas and believers of the Ximen Lamaism gradually resumed their normal religious activities, and the state allocated funds for the maintenance of some temples to renovate them, and some of the old and sick lamas who had no one to rely on received subsistence allowances, and the cause of self-support has been developed. The cause of self-support has developed.