For Mongols, the first holiday to celebrate the New Year is Tsagaan Sar. The New Year festival according to the lunar calendar is called Tsagaan Sar, meaning "White moon". This is a big family celebration with various ceremonies lasting three days.
Tsagaan sar customs are centuries old and its most widely celebrated holiday. Tsagaan Sar normally falls on the first of spring month, when winter ends.This is January or February on the Gregorian calendar, depending on the phases of the moon, unless the leap year has been calculated differently.
Celebration of the New Year`s Eve is called "Bituun" and in the evening every family prepares a big meal and lots of fresh food to have a feast. A big wrestling match is broadcasted live throughout the country. People ride their best horses during this holiday, prepare new clothes in advance and wear the most elegant ones. Homes are cleaned up thoroughly on the Eve.
In the morning of a New Year, a housewife offers the first cup of tea to gods in all directions. After the sunrise, people start to greet each other. While greeting they stretch their arms and the younger supports the elbow of the senior. The senior or elder people wish a long and happy life to young. While exchanging snuffbottles in greeting, people usually talk about how they passed the winter. During the days of Tsagaan sar holiday, various ceremonies become inevitable such as visits to relatives, exchange of gifts and lots of eating. Guests are warmly ans are served with tea and food. In addition to food, hosts give a present to visitors and sweets to children.
Mongolians attach a great significance to the first day of a New Year, therefore people exercise religious practices called "Khiimoroo sergeeh" for good luck. In Tsagaan Sar people perform an "Ovoo" ceremony to thank the god and nature.
