Sagaalgan (Buddhist New Year)

Every year, at the peak of winter and spring, Buddhist adherents celebrate their Sagaalgan or New Year As a rule, its date falls on the new moon at the end of January or February Initially, the White Moon holiday was celebrated in the fall by the nomadic peoples of Mongolia, but in 1700 its date was moved to the first month of the lunar year Due to astrological differences in calculation, in Asian countries it is celebrated earlier than in Russia Sagaalgan is celebrated for three days This action symbolizes the welcoming of the New Year, from which they expect a healthy and rich life People begin preparing for the holiday a month in advance Each housewife prepares from several hundred to several thousand dumplings for all relatives, neighbors and friends who visit her family Houses, barns and barns are cleaned with special care Women get new traditional items of clothing for each family member The run-up to the New Year is called a “moonless day,” when people go to the local temple for the Dugjuuba (purifying fire) ritual Adherents of Buddhism believe that this is how their sins, illnesses and failures of the past year are burned away On this day, tables are set with “white food”: layers of traditional cookies, dairy products, rice cooked with cottage cheese, stewed and boiled dumplings and much more When it gets dark, people put on their best clothes and sit down to eat For now, they cannot visit neighbors and relatives Three pieces of ice and hay are placed in the doorway for the deity Baldan Lhamo (the patroness of the capital of Tibet, Lhasa) and her mute, because people believe that the deity visits every family on a moonless night The next morning people get up before sunrise They put on their best clothes It is believed that this will bring good luck in the coming year Buddhist devotees then climb up a nearby mountain to greet the first sunrise of the New Year Women make tea with milk and offer it to the earth and gods At sunrise, the welcoming ceremony begins: the elders or owners of the family sit on the opposite side of the door When meeting guests and relatives, they raise their palms up, asking: “How are you?” Younger family members usually support the elders from below Relatives respond: “Great, what about you?”, while the eldest family member kisses the other on both cheeks Sometimes the action begins with a symbolic blue scarf, with which they express their respect for each other People visit each other's houses in order of age (the young go home before the elders) and bring treats of dumplings, milk tea and give gifts to each other The holiday lasts much longer than three days, because relatives live at different distances