]]> http://mongolianbear.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/63/feed/ 0 mongolianbear http://mongolianbear.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/traditions/ http://mongolianbear.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/traditions/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:03:44 +0000 mongolianbear http://mongolianbear.wordpress.com/?p=57 ]]>

Kazakh-Mongolian Wall Hanging

Kazakhs live in western Mongolia.  There is a 7% minority of ehtnic Kazakhs in Mongolia. They bring a rich tradition with them in the form of Kazakh Wall hangings.

These decorative wall hangings are just one feature found in gers in the west of the country. The tradition of hand stitching these colorful, symmetrical tapestry hangings and putting them along the “walls” of a ger goes back a while. They actually serve a purpose in partially insulating the living space from cold breezes that howl across the steppe. Hundreds of hours go into the manufacture of just one of these.

A heavy winter del, traditional clothing for winter

Wearing local clothing becomes almost necessary as the temperature plunges in the winter time. This is a traditional heavy winter del I am wearing here. It’s super warm and quite practical in this environment. Dels are mostly seen during formal occasions or more commonly in the countryside when it gets cold.

Kazakh Eagle Hunter

In October every year, there is a spectacular Kazakh Eagle Hunting festival in Bayan-Olgii Aimag. It lasts a few days, and the people in attendance are witness to an ancient tradition, indeed.  Golden eagles are raised to hunt for their handlers. The eagles can take down a full sized wolf, an ibex, a fox, rabbits or other prey. Dozens of hunters compete to see who has the best eagle.  It is breathtaking to behold.

I will continue to feature more traditions of Mongolia this week.

Thank you for your interest!

I wanted to extend to any readers out there my deepest good wishes for 2010, and remind you all that the Mongolians celebrate the lunar new year, which is on February 14th this year.

It is an amazing time, when families come together to celebrate the end of winter, and embrace the new year with special food, a mad cleaning session, and fun.

There is much to do before a huge traditional feast

And of course, during Tsagaan Sar, you will have the chance to drink to fermented mare’s milk.  Tsagaan Sar translates to “White Month” and yes there are several white foods to eat during this special time.  Including some of this:

A bowl of Airag

Brace yourself; you might actually like it after a while. There’s also bansh, which are little baby buuz meat dumplings. You will eat hundreds of bansh, and lots of candy. Candy is practically a food group for two weeks near Tsagaan Sar.  Get ready!

I won’t be providing tours until June 2010 at the earliest. But Mongolians are truly represented in their finest hour during this wonderful holiday. Kindness and respect for the interconnected web of life and community is most on display during this time.

I hope to some day be back for another Tsagaan Sar, but it will have to wait for the time being.

I will repeat my earlier offer to answer any questions you have about Mongolia.

Take care, and Happy New Year!

-Mark Rosenwald

More information can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsagaan_Sar

After arriving in Mongolia, I would recommend taking time to adjust to the new environment in one of the hotels or hostels located in the capital, Ulanbaatar. If you have crossed the International Date line, resting up before you venture out is certainly advisable.

The capital has much to offer for the adventurous tourist at any time of the year. During the tourist season, which stretches from the end of May to as late as September, you can do just about anything you can do in other cities in Asia.  Since the country divested itself of the Soviet Union in the early nineties, free market capitalism has taken on a life of its own. The learning curve was severe for most businesses and citizens, but a capitalistic economy has emerged from the ashes of the former socialist model, and people have shown steady progress and entrepreneurial savoirfaire.

A view from the Baynagol Hotel, Ulanbaatar

Once you’ve adjusted your internal clocks, it’ll be a perfect time to see what Ulanbaatar has to offer!

Sukhbaatar Square, downtown Ulanbaatar.

Traditional Mongolian Wrestling in Mankhan Soum, Hovd Aimag, during the 2005 Naadam Festival.

Mongolians love to wrestle. The object of the match is to have your opponent drop their knee(s), their backside, or just their back.

The Naadam festival gives everyone the opportunity to photograph tense, dramatic scenes and document traditions that have been going strong for centuries.

I would recommend a generous wide angle lens (15mm)  for your camera if you are at all interested in photographing the people or the landscapes of Mongolia.  The people won’t mind posing for pictures, but you should ask first, when possible: (phonetically phrased,  “Bee zurich, aavj bolth-oh?”

The vastness of the landscapes you will witness are difficult to capture in a single shot. Without the wide angle format, you will find yourself winging it and taking panorama shots in succession, with hopes to stitch them together with Photoshop back at home.

Ikh Burkhant, Buddhist sculpture

Case in point, Ikh Burkhant.  It’s hard to capture this with a camera, but it can be done.

If you are interested in touring or visiting Mongolia between June 1st and September 15th, I would enjoy working with you to provide either guidance and logistics services (with my driver and team),  or a personalized consultation for your trip before you go.

I plan to return to Mongolia in May to teach English in Ulanbaatar.  I will also be  working as a freelance tour guide for various non-governmental organizations, providing tours to visiting or recently arrived contractors.

I will provide a complete, open format tour of the countryside and cities, giving access to all that Mongolia has to offer. I speak Khalkh Mongolian–learned from my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in western Mongolia (Hovd Aimag). I have my own driver and chef available and standing by for our journey.

If you want to meet Buddhist monks, we will live with them and see the more notable temples. If you are interested in seeing Przewalski’s Horse, we can take you to where they live in the wild. Are you interested in seeing dinosaur bones in the Gobi desert?  We can take you there. Are you an ornithologist, looking for a once in a lifetime vacation to see the birds of Mongolia? We can  live with an Kazakh eagle hunter, who uses his bird instead of a rifle.  Or perhaps you are interested in fishing for Taimen? We can take you to the best fishing sites in Mongolia. Perhaps you want to see the Naadam Festival, which takes place in July each year everywhere.

I can purchase all of the food ahead of our trip. People have asked and yes, it is possible to see Mongolia as a vegetarian!

So, if you are interested in a trip of your life in one of the last frontiers in the world, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your time!

Mark Rosenwald

011 206 484 8321