February 19, 2012 — This week in Mongolie, we celebrate Tsagaan Sar, the New Year based on the lunar calendar. This year we bid farewell to the Year of the Rabbit and welcome the Year of the Dragon (a most auspicious year according to lunar tradition).

Beginning February 21st, celebrations will unfold over three days. The first evening is called Bituun and marks New Year's Eve. That night, every Mongolian visits close family and indulges in festive fare—mutton, dried cakes, sweets, vodka—while playing games and singing. It's an evening brimming with joy, music, dancing, and merriment.

Tsagaan Sar, the White Moon, holds profound significance in Mongolie as it heralds the arrival of spring, a season of immense importance to Mongolians—symbolizing the return of herding and the production of dairy products so vital to nomadic life. New Year celebrations are deeply ritualized, designed to ensure the coming year brings renewal and positivity. Every action undertaken during these festivities carries weight and meaning. Winning at card games, for instance, is considered an auspicious omen. In the week preceding the celebrations, women and children undertake extensive spring cleaning and craft new traditional clothing, preparing to begin the year with freshness and solid foundations. Families invest considerable resources to signal prosperity and set the year on the most favorable course.

The days following Bituun are devoted to visiting. On the first day, younger generations call upon their elders, exchanging pleasantries about how the winter unfolded and presenting snuffboxes to one another. Guests then offer gifts to their hosts—fresh banknotes, for example, representing renewal. Everyone shares in the festive dishes prepared by the host. As guests depart, they receive a gift in return.

The third day is typically reserved for receiving visitors—a day devoted to more distant friends and relatives.

Throughout the celebrations, Mongolians also make offerings to the deities to bless the year ahead. For instance, on the first morning of Tsagaan Sar, the mistress of the household tosses the contents of the first cup of tea to the four cardinal directions as an offering to the gods.

The week ahead marks a time of transition between two eras: from the Rabbit to the Dragon, from winter to spring, opening the way to renewal. — Charlène, Nomadays

An English-speaking SEO editor from Nomadays' earliest days, Charlène has evolved into content manager and communications lead, accompanying the adventure with passion and unwavering commitment. After spending seven years in Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolie and South Korea—she has made travel a way of being in the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey through her writing a thoughtful, engaged, and responsible vision of tourism. Each article is, for her, a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.