Across the Asian Continent, there is a special day celebrated by most of the Asian countries every year. Mongolia too, being an inseparable part of Asia covering huge land mass has a similar day celebrated by its People, called Tsagaan sar (White moon) which is referred as Seollal in Korea.
It is a day which gives me enormous feeling of oneness with the Koreans sharing some common rituals which binds us together. Let’s know about Korea and Mongolia’s rituals according to Asian lunar New year. Let’s get culturally awared about the way seollal is being Celebrated in Korea and Mongolia.
What do Korean people eat in Seollal?
1. They prepare some national food Tteokguk (떡국)
(soup with sliced rice cakes)
a traditional Korean food customarily eaten for the New Year.
Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans and having tteogkuk is considered a part of their birthday celebration. Once you finish eating , one year age in their life gets added.
Yummy Yummy Mandu! one more similarity between Mongolian and Korean Culture.
2. What the Koreans wear during Seollal traditionally?
Korean New Year is regarded as a family holiday in Korean Society. They have three-day holiday which is being is used by them to return to their hometowns, visiting their parents, old friends and other relatives . They perform ancestral rituals as well.
What is practiced in Korea during Seollal?
They present prayers offerings to their forefathers and ancenstors.
How about Mongolia
The Mongolian Tsagaan Sar is culturally more related to the Tibetan New Year than to the Chinese New Year.
The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the winter solstice.
1. Which food do Mongolians prepare?
This is one of the Mongolian food called Buuz. It looks like Mandu but it includes different materials like meat(beep,lambs,etc), onion, fennel. Some households add mashed potato, cabbage or rice depending on their preferences and likes.
In Mongolia . the traditional food for the festival also includes dairy products such as rice with curds (tsagaa-цагаа) or rice with raisin (berees-бэрээс.
Which clothes do Mongolians wear?
We dress our national clothes Deel in during this holiday.
2. Special Greeting
Many people will be dressed in full garment of national Mongol costumes. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival, Mongols grasp them by their elbows to show support for them.
The eldest receives greetings from each member of the family except for his/her spouse.
Buyana Buyangerel from Mongolia.
