The present situation of grassland festival customs in Inner Mongolia.

Mongolian basic necessities of life;

Dress

Jewelry, robes, belts and boots are the four main parts of Mongolian costumes, and the ornaments on women's heads are mostly made of agate, pearls and gold and silver. Men wear robes to tie their waists, while women embroider lace patterns on sleeves and high collars, which is similar to that of the Mongols. Women like to wear clothes of three different lengths. The first one is a close-fitting dress with sleeves reaching to the wrist, the second one is a coat with sleeves reaching to the elbow, and the third one is a collarless double-breasted vest with straight rows of flashing buttons, which is particularly eye-catching. Mongolian people have the fashion of solidarity and mutual assistance, and festivals include Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Torch Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Mongolian people are good at singing and dancing, and there are two kinds of folk songs: long tune and short tune. Their favorite dance is called "Tiaoqu". Everyone forms a circle, clapping and singing while jumping. In recent years, contact with relatives in Inner Mongolia has increased, and the "Nadam" event has been held to attract guests from all over the world.

Dietary customs

There are many distinctive Mongolian foods, such as roast sheep, roast whole sheep with skin, hand-pulled mutton, fried sheep, roast leg of lamb, milk tofu, Mongolian buns, Mongolian pies and so on. There are: thin cream, Mongolian standing dairy products; Milk skin; All-sheep banquet is a traditional Mongolian banquet dish, which is also often used for sacrificial activities. Roasted sheep cooked with Erdos flavor dishes in Inner Mongolia; Chinese cabbage and mutton rolls; Xinsu cake, a traditional Mongolian folk cake; Dry rice, Mongolian snacks.

Mongolian herders regard sheep as the guarantee of life and the source of wealth. Three meals a day, every meal is inseparable from milk and meat. Food made of milk is called "Chaganyide" in Mongolian, which means holy and pure food, that is, "free food"; Food made of meat is called "Ulan Yide" in Mongolian, which means "red food".

Besides the most common milk, Mongolians also eat goat's milk, horse's milk, deer's milk and camel milk. Some of them are used as fresh milk drinks, and most of them are processed into dairy products, such as dried yogurt, milk tofu, milk skin, cream, thin cream, cream residue, cheese crisp, milk powder, etc., which can be eaten at dinner and are also snacks suitable for all ages. Dairy products have always been regarded as excellent treasures. If there are visitors, they should be introduced first. If the child comes, he should also put milk skin or cream on his head to show his good wishes.

Mongolian meat is mainly beef and mutton, followed by goat meat, camel meat and a small amount of horse meat, and yellow mutton is also hunted during the hunting season. There are more than 70 kinds of traditional ways to eat mutton, such as all-sheep banquet, tender-skinned all-sheep banquet, all-sheep banquet, roasted sheep, roasted sheep heart, fried sheep belly and stewed dishes with sheep brain. The most distinctive ones are Mongolian roasted whole sheep (peeled and roasted), oven roasted whole sheep with skin or Alashan roasted whole sheep, and the most common one is grasping sheep by hand. Mongolians pay attention to the clear cooking of mutton and eat it immediately after cooking, so as to keep the mutton fresh and tender, especially when cooking mutton, avoid overcooking it. The Mongolians in the Mongolian-Chinese mixed area in the east of Inner Mongolia also like to add seasonings to cook the meat into crispy mutton. In some areas, Mongolians also like to cut the meat on the tenderloin of sheep into large pieces and fry it into fried meat slices, which is called "big fried sheep" by the people. Beef is mostly eaten in winter. It's all beef banquets, and more is stewed, braised and made into soup. Camel meat and horse meat are also eaten, and fried hump slices are dipped in sugar, which is a dish. Experienced chefs are also good at cooking beef tendon, deer tendon, bullwhip and oxtail into various therapeutic dishes. For the convenience of preservation, beef and mutton are often made into dried meat and bacon.

Fried rice is a unique Mongolian food, which occupies the same important position as red and white food in daily diet. Mongolians in the western region also have the custom of "bumping people" with fried rice. Add sheep oil, red dates, brown sugar and white sugar to make fried rice, mix well and knead into small pieces to serve as tea and rice. Steamed millet is mostly used to cook porridge with diced meat, and crushed noodles can be used to make pancakes; There are more and more foods made of flour in Mongolian daily diet, the most common ones are noodles and pancakes. They are good at making distinctive Mongolian buns, Mongolian pies and stuffed Mongolian cakes. Mongolians in Alashan and Erdos in the west also have the habit of making "Zhang Ru" with flour. The Zhelimu League in the east is rich in buckwheat, and the pancakes baked with buckwheat flour are a distinctive local food.

Mongolian people can't live without tea every day. In addition to drinking black tea, almost everyone has the habit of drinking milk tea. The first thing in the morning is to boil milk tea. Milk tea is best boiled with clear water. After boiling, pour it into a clean pot or a pot filled with tea powder, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then mix fresh milk and salt to boil. Mongolian milk tea sometimes adds butter, or milk skin, or fried rice. , fragrant and salty, is a nourishing drink containing many nutrients. Some people even think that it's okay not to eat for three days and not to drink milk tea for one day. Mongolians also like to cook milk tea with fruits, leaves and flowers of many wild plants. Boiled milk tea has different flavors, and some can prevent and treat diseases.

Most Mongolians can drink alcohol, mostly white wine and beer, and some areas also drink milk wine and koumiss wine. When Mongolian people brew milk wine, they first put fresh milk into a barrel, and then add a small amount of yogurt-loving juice (more sour than ordinary yogurt) as a starter, and stir it every day. After all the milk turns sour in 3-4 days, they can put it in the pot and heat it. The pot is covered with a bottomless wooden bucket, and several small pots with big mouths facing down are hung inside the bucket. Then, put an iron pot full of cold water on the bottomless barrel. Yogurt evaporates after heating, condenses into liquid after cooling, and drops into a small basin. Every holiday or when friends and relatives get together, there is a habit of drinking a lot. Koumiss is fermented from fresh koumiss without distillation.

Civilian residence

"Mongolian yurt" is the Manchu name of Mongolian herdsmen's housing. "Bao" means "home" and "house" in Manchu. In ancient times, yurts were called "vault", "felt tent" or "felt house".

There are round yurts, large and small, and large ones can accommodate more than 20 people to rest; Little people can also accommodate 10 people. The construction of yurts is very simple. Generally, draw a circle according to the size of the bag where it is suitable for aquatic plants. Then Hana (made of 2.5-meter-long wicker) was erected along the drawn circle, and Wuni (a wicker with a length of about 3.2 meters) was erected at the top to kidnap Hana and Wuni together into a circle. Even if a herder settled on the grassland.

After the yurt was built, people decorated it. Spread a thick carpet, place furniture, and hang picture frames and posters around. Now some furniture and electrical appliances have also entered the yurt, and life is very comfortable and happy.

The biggest advantage of yurts is that they are easy to assemble and disassemble. Easy to move. When it is erected, the Hannah will be opened to form a circular fence. When disassembling, folding Hannah back will reduce the size and can also be used as a board for cattle and carriages. A yurt can only be carried by a two-humped camel or a two-wheeled ox cart, and it can be covered in two or three hours.

Although the yurt looks small, it has a large use area. And indoor air circulation, good lighting conditions, warm in winter and cool in summer, not afraid of wind and rain, very suitable for herders to live and use frequently.

Because the Mongolians in Balikun have lived together with the Han nationality for a long time, their costumes are close to those of the Han nationality. Only a few elderly people wear traditional Mongolian costumes, including blue headscarves, blue big-breasted robes, ribbons around their waist and leather boots. However, on major festivals, Mongolian men and women should wear traditional national costumes, lacy Mongolian robes, colorful silk belts and Mongolian leather boots, which are heroic and majestic.

In the past, Mongols were mainly nomadic, so they lived in yurts. Now, in addition to nomadism, a considerable number of Mongolians are engaged in agricultural production or farming and animal husbandry, and have settled in villages and towns.

The traditional diet of Balikun Mongolians is mainly pasta, milk, meat and wild leeks, onions and mushrooms in summer. Later, due to the long-term mixed living among the Han people, engaged in the life of semi-farming and semi-grazing, vegetables are now widely eaten. Mongolian people are warm, generous and sincere in hospitality. When entertaining guests, they must propose a toast and sing a "toast song" to create a warm atmosphere and express their welcome, blessing and respect to the guests. Mongolians especially advocate respecting the elders and caring for the younger generation. If an older elder comes to the house, you must meet him and tie up your horse. When the elders want to leave, they should also hold the saddle on their horses.

Mongolian festivals are mainly Spring Festival and Aobao Festival, as well as some Lantern Festival (Zulu Festival) and Maier Festival. The first day of sending winter to welcome the Spring Festival, that is, the Spring Festival, is called "Chagan Sari". Mongolians have their own unique ways to celebrate the Spring Festival. May 13 of the lunar calendar is Aobao Festival, which is the most common ritual activity of Mongolian people. Aobao is a common mountain pile on the grassland for people to sacrifice. At the top, you should insert willow branches into clusters and erect poles into columns. "Making a mountain out of stone" and "regarding it as a god" are the embodiment of mountain gods, land gods and nomadic protector gods, and are typical of shamanism's primitive worship. On the day of offering sacrifices to Aobao, people happily gathered in front of Aobao to offer sacrifices. First, lamas burn incense and recite scriptures. After offering the offerings, people walked around Aobao's palm from left to right and kowtowed three times, praying for God's blessing. After Aobao Festival, there will be horse racing, wrestling, archery, singing and dancing and other recreational activities. Therefore, offering sacrifices to Aobao is not only a religious activity, but also an opportunity for young Mongolian men and women to display their talents, skills and emotional exchanges.

Horse racing, wrestling and archery are called "three heroic arts" and are the specialties of grassland riders. Mongolians, both men and women, have learned to ride horses since childhood, and have been riding horses in Ma Rufei since they were teenagers. They can bend down and pick up handkerchiefs, whips and other things that the horse put on the ground when running. Wrestling is also a favorite competitive activity of Mongolian people, and the wrestling scene is wonderful and exciting. Archery is the strong point of Mongolians, and it is also a skillful sport that has been passed down to this day.