Culture of Mongolia |
The nomadic way of life of Mongols depends on animals. Despite an urbanization, way of a steppe life is defining in a life of Mongols. Even in cities the majority of Mongols lives in гэрах - the white woollen tents easily transferred from a place on a place and having an identical arrangement on district: the door always should look at the south, inside the back wall and has some to the West there is a place of honour for visitors, the back part - a place for the oldest members of a family and for the most valuable things, in the same place is a family altar with images of the Buddha, family photos and suitcases. Ask somebody from local residents, and to you will tell about tens every possible religious rules, поверий and the prejudices connected with traditional Mongolian dwelling.
Mongols always were adherents of the Tibetan Buddhism, both communication between Mongolia and Tibet historically very close and deep. Once in a life each Mongol-Buddhist aspires to visit the sacred city of Lhasa; тибетцы, in turn, leant against various Mongolian tribes for maintenance of the power. In 1921, by the moment of arrival to the power of communists, in Mongolia was 110 000 llamas (monks) who lived in 700 monasteries. Since 1930, thousand monks have been arrested, banished to Siberia in camp and were missing. Monasteries have been closed and profaned, and all religious practices and ceremonies are forbidden. Freedom вероисповедования was not restored up to 1990. Phenomenal revival of the Buddhism (and other religions) from now on has begun. Monasteries opened again, and even some ex-leaders of communist party became llamas. Monasteries and temples (сюн) always have the Tibetan names. Except Buddhists there is still a group of Moslems суннитов, living in the most western regions of Mongolia, the majority from which is ethnic Kazakhs.
Painting, music and the literature of Mongolia are under strong influence of the Tibetan Buddhism and a nomadic way of life. Dances цам are intended for exile of evil ghosts, they originate from кочевничества and шаманизма. Forbidden during communism, they again start to revive. Traditional music includes a wide spectrum of tools and singing styles. In the Mongolian singing кхуми specially trained man's voices publish harmonious overtones from depth of a throat, publishing some sounds simultaneously. It is impossible to present national Mongolian music and dances without performances of the person-snake, it is ancient Mongolian tradition.
The Mongolian language - an official language in the country. It concerns the uralo-Altay family of languages including also Finnish, Turkish, Kazakh, Uzbek and Korean. Since 1944 Russian Cyrillics was used as the Mongolian writing. In the country the rich literature almost known for that who knows only the European languages is created. Only the most important text - Mongol-un Nigusha Tobchijan (Confidential History of Mongols) in whom the description of former greatness of the Mongolian Empire is given is recently translated.
The old Mongolian proverb sounds approximately so: "the Breakfast eat itself, a dinner have undressed with friends, and a supper give to enemies". The most dense and thorough meal in Mongolia is made for a breakfast and a dinner, usually it is boiled mutton with a fat and flour considerable quantity, and also, probably, dairy products or fig. the Kazakhs living in the west of Mongolia, bring a variety the Mongolian kitchen at the expense of a horse-flesh. Mongols very much love tea and a classical Mongolian drink - сюютей (salty tea). The men, refusing to drink аркхи (vodka), are considered as weaklings, shepherds prepare an own house drink айраг from horse milk with the maintenance of alcohol no more than 3 %. Many Mongols process it further to receive шимиин аркхи in which the alcohol maintenance increases to 12 %.
