Tsagaan Sar is a celebration of successfully passing through the winter and joyfully welcoming the arrival of spring, marking the increase of one’s age. It is also a festival that preserves many customs and traditions that reflect the unity of the people, national heritage, culture, and respect for parents, ancestors, and one another. It strengthens family and clan ties, passes down knowledge to the younger generation with love and compassion, and renews spiritual energy and blessings for the year ahead through communal rituals and merit-making.
In East Asia, the Lunar New Year is celebrated somewhat later than in the West. Before the 13th century, Mongolians celebrated the New Year in autumn and called it the “Milk Moon.” From the 13th century onward, it became customary to call it “Khuwi Sar” or “Tsagaan Sar” (White Moon), as recorded in historical sources such as The Secret History of the Mongols, Hua Yi Yu, and The White Chronicle. The Tsagaan Sar festival is deeply connected to the founding period of the unified Mongol state.
On the first day of the White Moon in the year of the Red Rabbit in the early 13th century, Genghis Khan rose at the hour of the Rat, purified himself, donned new clothes, and performed rituals to honor Heaven and Earth as well as worship the Sky Goddess (Uulen Ekh). He then proceeded to his grand palace, burned fragrant incense, and held a grand ceremony with his hundred officials and three ministers. Since then, on the first day of Tsagaan Sar in the year of the Rat 1216, Genghis Khan distributed thousands of silver and gold coins from his treasury to loyal subjects aged over sixty.
Genghis Khan thus established Tsagaan Sar as a grand national festival uniting the people. As spring approached and the auspicious “Tiger Moon” rose, the nine-tailed white banner was raised and the Great Kurultai (assembly) was convened. This tradition led many noblemen and officials from subject tribes to bring gifts and offer greetings of peace to the Khan, as documented by Rashid al-Din. Later, the name “Mongol Month” was adopted because in 1227, the year of the Red Pig, after Genghis Khan conquered the Tangut kingdom, he designated the first spring month and the Tiger Moon as the beginning of the Mongol calendar.
The Mongolian New Year is celebrated in the first month of spring and is called Tsagaan Sar, deriving its name from “tsagaa,” meaning dairy products, which are central to the celebration. The timing reflects the practical needs of herders, marking the end of a harsh, stormy winter that was dangerous to livestock and the arrival of the warm, fertile season.
Marco Polo, who served for many years as a Venetian envoy at the court of Kublai Khan, recorded his observations of the Mongols’ Tsagaan Sar celebration. He described that on this day, elephants carrying beautifully decorated chests adorned with gold and silver, along with camels loaded with gifts, would arrive at the Khan’s palace. After performing ceremonies and presenting gifts, a feast would be arranged, and everyone would celebrate joyfully. Following the meal, magicians and dancers would come to entertain the palace residents. Polo also noted that during such festivities, trained lions were brought before the great Khans; these lions, recognizing their masters, would lie calmly at the feet of the Khan like well-trained dogs.
The Tsagaan Sar ceremony consists of two main parts: “Bitekh” (Closing) and “Shinelekh” (Welcoming the New Year). The closing ceremony is for bidding farewell to the old year, and the welcoming ceremony is for greeting the new year.
Bitekh Day and Bitekh Ceremony
Generally, the 30th day of the last month of winter is called “Bitekh.” This day is named for the sky’s complete darkness when the moon is not visible. Mongols refer to this final winter month as “Lavai Sar.” The moonless dark night symbolizes the closing of a full year. On this day, every household prepares the final meal of the year and holds the “Bitekh” ceremony, which means officially ending the passing year.
On Bitekh day, Mongols strive for abundance and plenty as a symbol of wishing for good fortune in the coming year. Before Bitekh day, people settle debts and obligations, return borrowed money and livestock, and deliberately reconcile with those with whom they had disputes, restoring harmony. Entire communities perform worship ceremonies, thoroughly clean their homes by sweeping away dust and smoke, and tidy up livestock enclosures. Even the collars and leashes of guard dogs are replaced with new ones. Men prepare their best horses and clean their saddles, while women organize dairy products, arrange clothing, and prepare all necessary items to welcome the first morning of the new year.
On the evening of Bitekh, after the head of the household gathers the sheep, they place a white stone and pure clear ice on the right side of the doorpost to invite good spirits and guardians into the home. On the left side, thorny bushes and reeds are placed to ward off evil spirits and demons. The head of the household prepares a whole sheep’s head without trimming the mouth and offers it as a sacrifice to the gods, applying yellow butter to its nostrils, ears, eyelids, and other openings. Candles and incense are lit at the family altar. Everyone wears new traditional clothes and gathers around a table full of dairy products and food. The head of the household leads the ceremony to close the year.
A unique custom of Bitekh is the clapping of hands known as “bitekh chomog,” and sharing steamed dumplings with neighbors. After eating their fill, people play games and enjoy entertainment.
On Bitekh day, it is taboo to visit many houses, to punish children, to make dogs bark, to shout loudly inside or outside the house, to chew and then go outside, to leave without wiping one’s mouth, or to take medicine unnecessarily. Offices and institutions also observe a “tamga amrah” ceremony, where official stamps and seals are laid down and rested for the day.
Shine (New Year’s Day) Ceremony
From dawn until nightfall on the first day of the new year, people observe signs to predict how the year will unfold. If the dawn is slow and bright, and the sunrise is clear without clouds, it is believed that the year will be fortunate and prosperous, especially for infants and children.
On the first day of the new year, certain actions are avoided, such as performing work-related tasks, staying overnight at someone else’s house, crying, quarreling, throwing ashes or trash carelessly, going to bathe, lying down and sleeping during the day, among others.
Performing “Mor Garakh” (Casting the First Shadow)
This ritual is performed early in the morning on the first day of Tsagaan Sar by the head of the household. At sunrise or facing a favorable direction, the household head “casts” their shadow to symbolically cast away the year’s taboos and misfortunes. Traditionally, wives and daughters are not required to perform this ritual. The direction depends on the year’s animal sign, day, and the position of the black dog moon, which is taken into account to avoid misdirection.
Greeting with the Khadag (Silk Scarf)
Family members dress in their finest traditional clothes and greet the eldest members of the household—grandparents, parents—by offering the khadag (ceremonial silk scarf). Then they greet respected elders in the neighborhood and community. This begins the cycle of formal greetings where elders, adults, and children visit different households to offer respects and receive hospitality and gifts.
After sharing the New Year’s meal, hosts give auspicious blessings to their guests, who respond briefly, wishing the blessings to come true.
When greeting with a khadag, one holds one end of the scarf with the right little finger wrapped twice clockwise around it, letting the rest hang down near the thumb side. The khadag is not placed directly on the other person’s hand but offered while hanging. People of all ages can greet each other with the khadag.
Greetings and Respectful Address
Greetings show respect, and even younger people use the formal pronoun “ta” (you, respectful) when addressing elders. The greeting process begins with wishes for good health, followed by seasonal greetings, and ends with inquiry greetings; this full sequence is called the “complete greeting.”
Visitors are expected to wear full traditional attire and fasten all their buttons properly during greetings. When meeting foreigners, greetings follow Mongolian customs. During times of mourning or tragedy, greetings and khadag exchanges are avoided.
Mongolians greet by touching khadags or crossing hands; they do not shake hands.
New Year greetings include wishes for happiness, peace, and prosperity in the coming year, as well as for thriving livestock and abundant offspring. Typical greeting phrases include:
“Is your body and appearance clear and healthy? Is your livestock safe and sound?”
“Is the foal strong? Is the pig muscular? Are the boys grounded? Are the girls beautiful?”
Smoking with the Snuff Bottle (Tamhilakh):
When smoking with a snuff bottle (khoorgoo), the head of the bottle is never loosened. It is strictly prohibited to cross snuff bottles during greetings, as this is considered a bad omen. This custom became widespread since the time of the Great Saint Zanabazar and is known as the “greeting snuff” tradition.
When a woman smokes, she brings the snuff bottle to her forehead and offers it with both hands to the elder men or guests. When receiving a snuff bottle from an elder, one takes it with both hands, raises it above one’s head while bowing respectfully, and then returns it.
Women and young people are not allowed to touch the top of the snuff bottle; they only sniff it and then return it.
If there is a disagreement between people, they “cross snuff bottles” to resolve their feelings.
Pressing the top of the snuff bottle is forbidden, as this is a sign of broken harmony and conflict.
Snuff bottles are classified by size: small, medium, and large.
When smoking from a pipe (gaans), it is not acceptable to refuse it. Even if one does not actually inhale the smoke, they take the pipe to their cheek and then return it. When returning the pipe, the mouthpiece is wiped with the fist before giving it back.
Guest Seating
In a traditional Mongolian home, a raised platform or seat (olbog) is arranged in the upper right corner for guests. If the guests are elders, they sit on the upper right main seat; guests of the same generation sit to the right side, and younger guests sit towards the front right.
If a female guest is older than the hostess, she sits to the hostess’s right side; if younger, she sits to the hostess’s lower side.
Cutting the Backbone of Meat (Uuts Khundekh)
When placing meat on the table, traditional customs are followed strictly. Whole meat is arranged according to the natural order of the animal’s body as it was in life: the neck and shoulders are placed at the front lower side, the ribs at the sides, the two thighs are laid forward with the joints placed naturally, and the backbone is built up on top, with the head placed at the highest point.
The front part of the meat is oriented towards the guest.
The guest holds the meat from the head side and carves it carefully to eat.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year (Bituun), the head of the household cuts nine cross-sections (head, snout, two jaws, two ears, two sides of the backbone) and offers them to the fire.
Then, the meat is offered to the household’s guardian spirits, and shared with everyone in the home.
Only the head of the household or an honored guest is allowed to cut the backbone.
When cutting the backbone, the host first cuts one piece from the middle of the backbone’s tail, then makes three cuts along the lines where many bones meet.
Next, two cuts are made along the edges of the backbone, and the portions are gathered and offered as a share to the fire spirits.
If there are many guests, the eldest guest cuts the backbone and distributes portions to others with great respect, receiving the gifts with both hands.
Gift Giving:
There are many types of gifts.In earlier times, the most respected gifts included fine silk with embroidery, gold and silver jewelry, the soft fur of high-quality livestock, and precious manuscripts and sutras, often accompanied by nine white gifts.
The “three auspicious gifts” traditionally consist of a white rug and khadag (silk scarf), freshly milked buttered milk, and a valuable livestock animal such as a sheep or horse.
Although gift-giving customs have changed over time, the khadag, cups, and tea have always remained highly respected gifts passed down through generations.
Shiniin Negiin Togloom Naadgai (New Year’s Eve Game)
On the evening of the first day of the lunar new year (Shiniin Neg), people used to play a game called “Two Travelers and 32 Demons,” which was essentially a mathematical puzzle.
The story goes: Two travelers decided to spend the night near a well in the countryside. At midnight, 32 demons appeared and said they would throw the two travelers into the well. The travelers agreed but asked which one of them the demons should throw in first, since one of them had to be sacrificed.
The demons asked, “How will we know who is the fool?”
“That’s easy,” said one traveler. “Let’s all sit around the well in a circle. Starting from one edge, count off, and the seventh person will be the fool. Let’s throw the seventh one into the well.”
The demons agreed and began counting around the well, throwing every seventh person in. Eventually, only the two travelers remained.
This old traditional riddle or puzzle is also played during the New Year. You can try it yourself with 32 identical coins and two different coins placed in a circle. Think about how to count and position the coins so that the two travelers (the two different coins) are not the seventh fool.