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Bibby Purev
I hopped in the cab and paid my fare. But I’m not there.

Tsagaan Sar 2016 Notes

Tsagaan Sar, which literally means White Moon, is Mongolian way of celebrating Lunar New year. It usually occurs in early February. It’s one of the three Mongolian important holidays: Tsagaan Sar, Naadam, and New Year’s. I can go on saying blah, blah, and blah but I’m not interested in telling about that.

I’m more interested in telling my point of view. It’s interesting to me to tell you guys because up until I was 16, it was one of those holidays I grew up celebrating and I didn’t really know about the meaning behind it or how much work people put into it. But what happens if you have stopped celebrating it for 10 years? I think 10 years gives a person a fresh perspectives into things that you knew before. I should say that I celebrated it when I was in the States but not in a way many Mongolians do.

So, this year was the first Tsagaan Sar for me in last 10 years. I’ve got to admit that it’s fascinating to look and participate the holiday that you grew up celebrating with different perspectives. So, these are the things I’ve noticed:

  • I’ve forgotten the significance of this holiday — It’s HUGE and it affects everyone. Everything closes down for at least 3 DAYS.
  • The pressure it puts on everyone is also HUGE.
    The preparation alone takes great amount of time, money, and labor. You need a lot of money to make it happen. Then you need to make hundreds of Buuz for Tsagaan Sar. People usually do it one or two weeks earlier. You need at least two dozens of Ul Boov to put on your table. Also, you need buy and make or have someone prepare your Uuts. Also, you need groceries for salads and other food to serve people. Oh yeah, you have super-clean your home before the Bituun day! So, there! That’s lots of work!
  • Almost everyone wears traditional deel — I was thinking about getting one but didn’t put lot of effort into it. So, I’ve just gone without one. Guess what? Everyone is wearing one. Almost, everyone! Well, It’s a good change because we are embracing our culture more than ever before. I don’t think this many people wore Deel 10 years ago.
    Next year, I’m going to be wearing Deel!
  • You have to wake up really early to mark your steps or “Muruu gargah”. If I’m not mistaken it’s “Tuulai Tsag”, which occurs between 5:40 a.m to 7:40 a.m. Waking up at that early didn’t seem like a good idea to me. So, It’s safe to assume that I didn’t do the “Muruu gargah”. Yeah, I’m a night owl and I’m not really into traditions. Sorry, folks. I’d rather wake up at 6 o’clock to go watch The Superbowl, which I did, than marking my steps.
  • It’s always, I mean ALWAYS nice to see my relatives. — I grew up really close with my relatives from my dad’s side. So, On the Shiniin Negen, many of them were in my oldest uncle’s house. It reminded me of many memories we had during many Tsagaan Sar and New Year’s days.
  • We are all older now. — This is the obvious one but look at my cousins! They are fathers and mothers now. Then look at me: Just me. :D
  • I know why the older cousins stopped coming to the relatives’ houses anymore: It’s because of the question. The question is this, “When are you getting married?” I got that question asked many times for last three days. Why is it that Mongolians marry very early age? 
    I don’t feel like visiting my relatives anymore. I guess I’m going to follow my older cousins’ footsteps until I found the one.
  • It’s a BURDEN, yeah in capital letters, if your parents are the ones who are having people over. It’s lot of work, man! You have to prepare everything BEFORE people come over to your house. And you have to serve people DURING when guests are present. Also, you have clean-up AFTER they’re gone. I’m just talking about one day, man! The older your parents are, the longer the days are!
  • People are greeting with Vodkas now — Wow! What a change! It was always money or hadag. My dad greeted with his oldest brother with a vodka and when we returned home, we had four Vodkas! 
    See, it used to be mostly money!
  • Lot of unfamiliar ‘relatives’ — There were so many faces that I no longer recognize. The sole reason of Tsagaan Sar is to know who is whose relative. I’m kind of grateful that I visited my relatives because If I see them on a street I wouldn’t recognize them!
  • Designated driver — When people visit one’s home, they give you Arkhi and Airag. So, there’s a need for a designated driver! That’s me this year! So far, I did it for last 3 days and it wasn’t any good! On top of driving through traffic jams, my lack of knowledge of the roads were frustrating! I don’t want to be the designated driver next year but it’s most likely me, again!

So, there’s that!