On Feb
11st, we began to celebrate Tsaagan Tsar, which is the first day of the year
according to the Mongolian Lunar Calendar (Tibetan tradition). A great deal of
work is required to prepare for the country’s most important feast. Up until
the first day of celebrations the stores were packed with anxious shoppers
trying to buy food and gifts to give to each guest who comes to visit them. The
women had the hardest work. They spend several days preparing hundreds of booz
(meat dumplings) and dairy foods to mark the occasion. Well-off families
prepare and serve a stewed side of sheep as well. While most Europeans and
North Americans would cut off the fat due to health reasons, the fat is the
most important for Mongolians since it is seen as a sign of abundance and a
source of strength.
