Tsagaan Sar

Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian: Цагаан сар, white moon or white month) is the Mongolian lunisolar New Year festival. It is often celebrated around the same time as the Chinese New Year (sometimes a lunar month later). However, the Mongolian Tsagaan Sar is culturally more related to the Tibetan New Year or Losar than to the Chinese New Year.
The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the winter solstice. In 2009, White Moon fell on February 25, and in 2010, it was on February 14. Tsagaan Sar is one of the most important Mongolian holidays."Tsagan Sar: The Mongolian Lunar New Year". Mongoluls. 2007. March 13, 2008. <http://mongoluls.net/tsagaansar.shtml> 
Around the New Year families burn candles at the altar symbolising enlightenment. Also people greet each other by saying 'Amar mend uu?' or 'Amar bain uu?', a very formal greeting which one says to one's elders. Mongolians also visit friends and family on this day and exchange gifts. A typical Mongolian family will meet in the home dwelling of the eldest in the family. Many people will be dressed in full garment of national Mongolian costumes. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival, Mongolians 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. During the greeting ceremony, family members hold long pieces of colored cloth called khadag. After the ceremony, the extended family eats rice with curds, dairy products and buuz and drinks airag, and exchanges gifts.
The day before Tsagaan Sar is called Bituun, the name of the lunar phase of dark moon. The lunar phases are Bituun (dark moon), Shined (new crescent moon), Tergel (full moon), and Huuchid (waxing moon). On the Bituun day, people thoroughly clean around home, herders also clean the livestock barns and shades, to meet the New Year fresh. The Bituun ceremony also includes burning candles to symbolise enlightenment of the samsara and all sentient beings and putting three pieces of ice at the doorway so that the horse of the deity Palden Lhamo could drink as the deity is believed to visit every household on this day. In the evening, families gather together--immediate family usually, in contrast to the large feast gatherings of White Moon day--and see out the old year eating dairy products and buuz. Traditionally, Mongolians settle all issues and repay all debts from the old year by this day.
Traditional food for the festival includes dairy products, rice with curds (tsagaa-цагаа) or rice with raisin (berees-бэрээс), a pyramid of traditional cookies erected on a large dish in a special fashion symbolising Mount Sumeru or Shambhala realm, a grilled side of mutton and minced beef or minced mutton steamed inside pastry, a dish known as buuz, horse meat and traditional cookies. Tsagaan Sar is a lavish feast, requiring preparation days in advance, as the women make large quantities of buuz and freeze them to save for the holiday.
== Dates ==
The Mongolian calendar in the Tegus Buyantu (Төгсбуянт) system is a lunisolar calendar. Tsagaan Sar is celebrated on the first through third days of the first lunar month.
Gregorian year	Mongolian year 	Tsagaan Sar* 	Element and animal
1989 	 	February 7 - February 10 	female earth snake
1990 	 	February 26 - February 28	male iron horse
1991 	Төрөлхтний эзэн 	February 15 - February 17	female iron sheep
1992 	Ангира 	February 4 - February 7 	male water snake
1993 	 	February - February 	female water ape
1994 	Бода 	February 11 - February 13	male wooden dog
1995 	 	February - February 	female wooden hog
1996 	Баригч 	February 19 - February 21	male fire mouse
1997 	Эрхэт 	February 8 - February 10 	female fire cattle
1998 	 	February - February 	male earth tiger
1999 	 	February - February 	female earth rabbit
2000 	 	February - February 	male iron dragon
2001 	Сүргийн манлай 	January 24 - January 26 	female iron snake
2002 	Элдэв 	February 13 - February 15	male water horse
2003 	Наран 	February 2 - February 4 	female water sheep
2004 	Наран гэтэлгэгч 	February 21 - February 23	male wood ape
2005 	Газар тэтгэгч 	February 9 - February 11*	female wood rooster
2006 	Барагдашгүй 	January 30 - February 1 	male fire dog
2007 	Хамгийг номхотгогч	February 18 - February 20	female fire hog
2008 	Хотолыг баригч 	February 8 - February 10 	male earth mouse
2009 	Харшлалт 	February 25 - February 27	female earth cattle
2010 	 	February 14 - February 17	male iron tiger
2011 	 	February 3 - February 5 	female iron rabbit
2012 	 	February 22 - February 25	male water dragon
Л. Тэрбиш. Монгол зурхайн цаг тооны бичиг
* Note: The start date of Tsagaan Sar depends on what time zone one is in. For example, in 2005, Tsagaan Sar started on February 8 in the United States time zones and February 9 in Asia time zones.
==References==
== External links ==
*Mongolia Today magazine article on the White Moon festival
*Influence of shamanism and Buddhism on Tsagaan Sar traditions
Category:Buddhist holidays
Category:January observances
Category:February observances