White month (Tsagaan Sar, Цагаан сар)

This is an holiday in Mongolia, celebrating the new year and the beginning of the spring.
So at school we have 3 days off, but not so off for me because I am invited in 5 different families!!!

Beginning: On tuesday night I went with Tseegii to some students in the dorm.
They all have this kind of traditional food: milk cake: this has a strong taste that I can not describe and some sweets
After we went to a boy student, there we had some salad and apple with mayonnaise, the traditional tea with milk. This was very nice, also to meet some students at the dorm!!

After that well the night was short!! And it was just the beginning !!!!
This is new year eve after all :-)

In the next morning many people are going to the mountain to see the first sun rise of the year. But you need to have a car to go there and it's early and very very cold! So I didn't :-)

but here you can see how it looks like, this is from the tv :-)

1st day of the year: on the next day I have been invited at 9am by Tymee and her family.

So there also there was a lot of food: candies, milk products, meat, sausages, buuz (the dumplings), dried fruits, kiwi (at the supermarket they always sell kiwi???) milk tea and vodka.
The first glass was sent to the roof in homage to the sky.
the second was also given for the gods.
After that it was for us!
I also tried the mongolian vodka, made from milk. This has not so much alcohol but the taste from fermented milk is so strong!!!

This one was difficult for me to drink!!!! Hopefully it was just one small glass.
I also tried some spices that you first smell and then put in your nose, seems to be in every family, passed from generation to generation.
Well this is strange to have them in the nose, but nice.
This is from the tv to show how it's like!!
After the family went to see the grandparents.

So in the city you see families going to their relatives: people in traditional clothes (the name is del) everywhere, very nice.

These are some examples

These are for the women

And the most beautiful of course!!!!
This is made of silk, so great!

This is the milk (in solid form) that you put in your milk tea

This is the one I have received, the smell again is very very strong!

These are the buuz, the dumpling, in these 3 days I have eaten minimum 100 of them, I am dying!!!

And when you are invited for this holiday you receive some presents.
I have received some yurt

look inside you have everything!!

this is another one, so I am starting to make my camp :-)

You see Ginghis Khan inside?
He is in every home because mongolian people respect him very much.

Of course I was offered some buuz

Some chocolates (mongolian people love chocolate), some card holder, some lady's stuff
This is great!!!!

2nd day of the new year and still an holiday!!

This time I am invited by Buya's family.

His parent were in traditional clothes to welcome me and this time I have also done the greeting.
The tradition is that the children show their respect to their parents, so they kiss each other saying amouru ben oo

So when you greet some one older you put your arm under his/her, otherwise you put other it. 

So with his parents my arms were under, after Buya and his sister and some children, they put their arms under mine!!
This was very nice.

After that well we ate and drank!! So much that I am exploding!!!

This time the mongolian vodka was hot so this is much easier to drink!

Or I am getting used to it, who knows!!

There I had vodka, red wine from Germany, some plum alcohol, milk tea and coke to digest the all thing.

I spent a great time there too.

This is the traditional cookie.
You have to have un-pair number, because 1st is for luck, then unlucky and so one.
Seems that it can go to 11 levels!

And on the top the white things are milk products and the rest is candies!!!
On the 3rd day of the year I was invited by Zenee, where I have put the traditional clothe, also great time and then in the evening by Tseegi.

Here you see more of the food.
There is some rice with raisin also.

Now this is the 4th day of the year and I am resting a bit because tomorrow I am invited again!!!!