Mongolian Culture
Traditionally, Mongolians are nomads. They are primarily herders of goats, sheep, cattle, horses, yaks and camels. A clan of herders each has it's own kind of territory, and the families will return to the same areas each year with the seasons. Horses and camels are used as the main form of transportation outside of the cities. Being one of the few horse-based cultures left in the world, the horse holds a place of honor in the hearts of Mongolians. Mongolians are known for their generous hospitality, and a traveler is never refused a meal, even if they are strangers.
Housing
The ger is the traditional dwelling of the Mongolian people. It is like a yurt - it is made of a framework of wooden lattice and poles, and covered in felt for insulation and canvas for protection. The stove inside the ger burns dried camel dung. A ger can be easily moved to a family's next grazing area, and it is said that an entire ger, furniture and cookstove can be packed on three camels or in a cart drawn by oxen. The door of a ger always faces south.
Geography
Mongolia covers an area of about 1,566,500 sq. km, containing 4 main geographical areas: mountain-forest steppe, mountain steppe as well as semi-desert and desert (in the south of the country, covering a smaller area). Mongolia is very mountainous, with the average altitude being 1,580 m above sea level. Uvs-Nuur is the largest of the country's many lakes, covering 3,350 km2. Mongolia is also known for the Gobi desert (video) in the far south.
Festivals
Naadam Festival- this is the most well-known Mongolian festival. Held annually in July in cities and villages all across the country,it includes competitions of "the three manly sports" - wrestling, horse racing, and archery. Of course, there is also much eating, drinking, socializing and merriment involved too!
Tsagaan Sar- Held on the lunar new year, it is tradition to climb a sacred mountain and watch the first sunrise of the new year.
Language, Anthem and Flag
The majority of people speak Mongolian, with Russian, English and Mandarin being secondary languages. There are several different dialects of Mongolian, depending on location within the country.
The current Mongolian flag, which was adopted in 1992 has a symbol called a soyombo on it, which is really made up of many smaller symbols, each with a special meaning:
-Flame: growth and wealth. The three tongues represent past, present and future.
-Sun over a crescent moon: Mongolia's eternal existence
-Yin-yang symbol: balance and equality of men and women
-Triangles: spears, defeating foes
-Long upright rectangles: fortress, stability of values
The current Mongolian flag, which was adopted in 1992 has a symbol called a soyombo on it, which is really made up of many smaller symbols, each with a special meaning:
-Flame: growth and wealth. The three tongues represent past, present and future.
-Sun over a crescent moon: Mongolia's eternal existence
-Yin-yang symbol: balance and equality of men and women
-Triangles: spears, defeating foes
-Long upright rectangles: fortress, stability of values
Links With China
Mongolia and China have other ties than invading each other throughout history. You may have hear of inner and outer Mongolia. Well, inner Mongolia is actually an autonomous region within China, and outer Mongolia is a separate country. The two countries share some similarities, one being in the scale system they use.
Mongolian Cuisine
Mongolians eat a lot of meat and dairy products, because they can be obtained from their animals. Many crops cannot be grown in Mongolia, so they must be imported. The national drink of Mongolia is called airag, which is fermented mare's milk. Yum?
Horses
The horse is the most prized value in Mongolian culture. There is approximately 3 million people in Mongolia, and approximately 3 million horses. Many run in semi - feral herds on the steppes. It is said that "a Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings". They are small, study creatures, being mostly pony-sized and shaped, between 12 and 15 hands tall (1 hand = 4 inches). Mongolian children begin learning to ride almost as soon as they can sit up, and most of the horse races in Mongolia have children as jockeys. Male horses are usually used for riding, and the mares (females) for milk. A Mongolian herder may have up to 200 horses in his herd, so naturally, not all of them will be trained. They will usually keep 5 or so good riding horses in their herd.