Mongolian style horse milk festival, the origin and customs of horse milk festival

Horse milk festival. It is the most distinctive festival in Mongolia, and horse milk is also the most common drink for Mongolians. Mongolians hold horse milk festival every year to celebrate the harvest and pray for health. On the day of Horse Milk Festival, every household will cook delicious food with horse milk and entertain guests like roast sheep.

Horse Milk Festival is a traditional festival in Inner Mongolia. Every year at the end of August in the lunar calendar, Mongolians hold a one-day horse milk festival. Horse Milk Festival is popular in Xilin Gol League in Inner Mongolia and some pastoral areas in Ordos. Horse Milk Festival represents that in this harvest season, herders wish health, happiness, auspiciousness and human and animal prosperity.

Horse milk festival [a custom of Mongolian in Xilinguole grassland]

Horse Milk Festival: Every summer, Mongolian people start milking horses, and when the Mid-Autumn Festival stops milking horses, herders will hold a horse milk festival. Drinking koumiss is the main content, hence the name.

Horse milk festival [a custom of Mongolian in Xilinguole grassland]

Raising five animals, milking and processing all kinds of dairy foods are important contents of Mongolian people's animal husbandry and nomadic life. Milk food is also the main food source for herders, so every year when new milk comes out, certain ceremonies and parties are held to celebrate, hoping to get more and better milk food, among which the Horse Milk Festival is ancient and typical.

Autumn in August is the golden season of grassland: rich water plants and strong livestock. Every year at the end of August in the lunar calendar, Mongolians hold a one-day horse milk festival. This festival is a traditional Mongolian festival, which is more common in Xilin Gol grassland in Inner Mongolia. In this harvest season, in order to wish health, happiness, auspiciousness and human and animal prosperity, herders named this festival after Baima Milk.

Horse milk festival [a custom of Mongolian in Xilinguole grassland]

Mongolian traditional festivals are named after drinking kumiss as the main content. Popular in Xilin Gol League in Inner Mongolia and some pastoral areas in Erdos. Usually held in late August of the lunar calendar, the date is not fixed and lasts for one day. In order to celebrate the bumper harvest and bless each other, besides preparing enough kumiss, we also treat guests with "hand-grilled meat", hold horse racing activities, invite folk singers to sing greetings, and present gifts to the elderly of Mongolian medicine. It is said that Nadam Festival originated from this.

Horse milk is an indispensable drink in Mongolian life. However, the time to produce horse milk on the grassland is only July and August every year. Tana, a herdsman in Baoligen Sumu, Xilinhot City, held a horse milk festival at her tourist spot. In Xilin Gol League, people not only celebrate the New Year's Festival, but also celebrate the "Horse Milk Festival" every summer.

Horse milk festival [a custom of Mongolian in Xilinguole grassland]

Before the festival, every household should slaughter sheep for mutton or all-sheep feast, and milk horses for wine. On the festival day, every herdsman's family will take out the best milk powder, cheese, milk tofu and other dairy products and put them on a plate to entertain guests. Koumiss is regarded as a sacred drink, dedicated to distinguished guests. The biggest banquet for the guests is the mutton banquet. Roast whole sheep used to be used for sacrificial ceremonies or Aobao, but now it has become a special dish for grand festivals or welcoming VIPs.