Mongolian custom

Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? China has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, and everyone has hospitality, especially the Mongols. When you come to the yurt, you will not only be warmly received by the host, but also feel some national cultures that you have never touched or understood. Of course, before entering Mongolian life, we must understand some of their customs and taboos, otherwise if we act according to our own ideas at will, it will not only make jokes, but also make Mongolian compatriots unhappy.

First of all, when visiting a Mongolian family, it is forbidden to tuck your skirt in your belt, arm in arm, and don't bring a whip into the house. Regardless of the host and guest, we should let the elders and the elderly enter the house first.

Don't sit in the wrong position after entering the room. When a newcomer is a guest, the host will usually let the guest sit on it, while the guest will let the old man sit first. In yurts, elders always sit in front, men in the west and women in the east.

It is forbidden to lose your temper with children when guests are present, and you can't beat and scold children. Elders and elders are forbidden to interrupt and expose shortcomings. If you have any questions or need to explain the situation, don't ask until others have finished.

If you come to visit Mongolian yurts, the host will immediately offer a bowl of steaming milk tea, followed by fried rice and a bowl of cream, milk tofu, milk skin and other dairy products. When the host asks you to taste it, don't refuse it, otherwise it will break the host's heart and make him feel sorry. Mongolians are not afraid of others not eating too much. The more they eat, the happier their owners will be. After accepting the host's tea and rice, don't eat at all; Taboo eating milk food with chopsticks and drinking milk and eating milk food standing up; Taboo to pour milk casually; You can't turn a blind eye when you meet someone passing by with milk. You must have a taste before you go.

Taboo for drinking tea: when drinking tea, it is forbidden to fill the cup; Avoid pouring tea with your left hand; Taboo pouring tea from the door; Don't sigh when eating and drinking tea.

Taboos for eating red food: When tasting Deji and eating sheep's back, it is forbidden to be disheveled, and it is forbidden to sprinkle water with other fingers except the ring finger; When eating bones, it is forbidden to leave meat crumbs; When eating scapular meat, it is forbidden to bite. You should tear it open with a knife or hand. After eating bones, it is forbidden to beat each other; In the usual meat food, it is forbidden to eat ox gall, fox meat, dog meat and cat meat.

Taboo to eat: it is forbidden to give guests salt-free tea and rice; Avoid blowing with your mouth when eating hot meals; Avoid food spillage; Don't stretch after meals.

Compared with hospitality, the host family usually has taboos when preparing: for example, it is forbidden to break bones and joints when cutting meat; Avoid putting meat upside down; Don't pour rice into the pot in a bag; Avoid counting when mashing tea leaves; Don't talk loudly, speak unlucky language, etc. When pancakes and fried food.

In short, when visiting a pastoral area, we must pay attention to these daily etiquette taboos, which is not only a respect for the Mongolian people, but also a guarantee for our happy mood. Of course, if you don't know anything about these taboos and offend Mongolian compatriots, they can forgive you, and people who don't know won't blame you.

Wedding etiquette

The day before the wedding, the man will hold a "ceremony to bless the new house" and the woman will hold a "girl banquet". The banquet held by the man on the day before the wedding is mainly for the hired representatives and guests who come to attend the wedding, and a ceremony to bless the new house is held. This ceremony is the highlight of the banquet. First of all, the man should tidy up the new bag, the wallet, clothes, the groom's bedding and personal belongings given by relatives and friends, because these are all blessings from relatives and friends, of course, let it fill the whole new bag. Next, undertaker and the groom, parents who comb the bride's hair and other relatives and friends should be invited to sit down. At this time, Zhu Songren hung a silk hada and colorful lines between the beam and the skylight, and painted a little milk in the wooden bowl on the beam to show good luck and wish: good luck/happiness/in this room with oak utensils/white roof/two lovers who are destined to get married for a hundred years. ...

After the songwriter's auspicious and beautiful blessing, the host will offer tea to the guests who attended the ceremony of blessing the new house and those who greeted the bride, and then hold a banquet to express their gratitude. The complexity of this banquet depends on the man's wealth. But whether rich or poor, this is one of the important etiquette that must be completed before marriage. During the dinner, the groom toasted the guests, and the guests often used this festive day to toast each other and sing until late at night. Some places adjust according to the length of the wedding, and some even play all night. The groom is so jubilant and lively, while the bride is crying. ...

In ancient times, it was often said that "a married daughter is a spilled water", which means that a daughter is destined to be an "outsider" from birth, and the hard work of her parents is just making a "wedding dress" for others. This is due to the special status of women in human society and the patriarchal society after matriarchal clan. On this day, the woman will hold a girls' banquet hosted by her parents, and invite the girls from her hometown and relatives to sit with her soon-to-be-married daughter. Determined by the long existence of the table. Therefore, my daughter is getting married, so parents naturally have to hold a banquet to send her off and wish her happiness.

Also on the day before the wedding, the woman will hold a girl's party hosted by her parents. The main purpose is to invite girls from fellow villagers and relatives to sit with her soon-to-be-married daughter. Before the banquet, parents should let their daughter put on a new robe, take off her belt, put on her boots, wrap her hat in silk and sew it on. When the girl sat down in public, her mother brought her the first bowl of boiling water. The girl took the tea handed to her by her mother for the first and last time with tears in her eyes, tasted it and put it down. Then she went back to her mother, kowtowed to her mother and thanked her for raising her. Then the woman's mother brought a bowl of fresh milk for the girls to taste one by one, and then officially announced to everyone that the girls were getting married. At this time, the girl felt very sad and burst into tears at once. All the girls saw this scene and cried together. At this time, the bereaved person came forward to comfort: 18 years old/braid is long enough/getting married in a remote place/it's not a bad thing. ...

The girls stopped crying and sang "The Girl's Banquet Song", telling the soon-to-be-married girl to tell her feelings of parting with lyrics: set off and get on the horse/please lift the robe/those in trouble, remember the mistake of quick talking/sewing buttons/never let her mother-in-law see it. ...

At the girls' banquet, the woman's parents have another task: to fill the wine glasses and hire elders and men who are steady, well-versed in etiquette and good at rhetoric as representatives to see them off. Then hire two gentle, decent, diligent women with parents and children as the bride's lodging sister-in-law and Yue Yue (the lodging sister-in-law will follow the bride to the groom's house for a few days, and Yue Yue will stay for a month). In order to prepare for the farewell ceremony the next day in advance.

The girl's banquet is a small banquet for the woman's family in the Mongolian wedding, but it is more important for the married girl, because she will leave her parents, sisters and brothers and take on a family independently from now on. It can also be said that "The Girl's Banquet" is a post station for Mongolian girls to mature!

Birthday custom

Birthday is a celebration ceremony held by Mongolian people for the elderly. The Mongolian birthday ceremony and the celebration of this Gregorian calendar year are only held when they are old. Birthdays are usually celebrated at the age of 60, 70, 80 and 90. However, when parents are alive, children and grandchildren are not allowed to celebrate their birthdays even if they are seventy or eighty years old. The twenty-five, thirty-seven, thirty and forty-nine years of this calendar year are not very lively, but after sixty-one, seventy-three and eighty-five, it is another matter. People who celebrate their birthdays this year generally don't celebrate their birthdays. The Mongolian elderly in Bahrain, who are over 95 years old, will not be counted as ages, nor will they be centenarians.

Birthdays and calendar years are usually in the first month. As long as there is a family to celebrate the birthday of the elderly, the children of the host family will prepare a banquet from the end of the year. On the first day of junior high school, I began to welcome guests who came to celebrate their birthdays. Some people choose an auspicious day and then inform villagers, friends and relatives.

The birthday ceremony is relatively simple. During the dinner, the guests toasted the old man, presented Hada and presented gifts. The four, six and eight bowls of toast are called "Zhu Lai" in Mongolian. Then bow to the host and thank him for his hospitality. Birthday gifts usually include: horses, cows, sheep or sheep, fur robes, cotton robes, robes, boots, cigarettes, wallets, money and so on. Gifts generally account for "three" numbers. After the birthday, the birthday guests can't go home empty-handed, and the host family should give back cigarettes, wallets, towels and so on. If you are a child, send moon cakes or one or two yuan of pocket money.

Funeral custom

Lamaism is a kind of burial style after it was introduced into Mongolia. It was adopted by princes, nobles, lamas, officials and others. After the death of ordinary people, most people do not practice cremation, only after suffering from infectious diseases or maternal death. The method of cremation is: after death, take off old clothes and put on new clothes, or wrap the body in white satin, put the body in a wooden sedan chair 3 feet square and cover it. At the funeral, ask the Lama to specify the location and direction of burning the body. After that, the car with the body was pulled to the wilderness, and relatives and friends followed the funeral. When the corpse is burned, firewood is piled around the car carrying the corpse, and the things used or loved by the deceased are burned together. At the same time, the Lama prayed for the deceased, wishing the soul of the deceased to "ascend to heaven" and enter "heaven" as soon as possible. On the second day after cremation, the families of the deceased picked up the ashes, some scattered in mountains and rivers, and some buried them in jars to show their eternal mourning.

Burial is a kind of burial method widely practiced by Mongolians in agricultural areas. The burial method of Mongolians in the western agricultural area of Inner Mongolia is similar to that of Han nationality. After death (or before death), the family changed the deceased into new clothes, put the body on the board, covered Hada, and waited for the funeral. When buried, the body can't see the sun. Usually at dusk, the body is carried out of the window and into the coffin. Park in the hospital after entering the coffin, and the funeral usually takes 3-7 days. At the funeral, the eldest son of the deceased carried the big head of the coffin, and the rest of the descendants carried the small head, put the coffin on the hearse or coffin lid and transported it to the cemetery. After arriving at the cemetery, put the coffin into the grave with a sling. At the time of burial, the descendants and close relatives of the deceased walked around the tomb three times, grabbing the soil with their hands and scattering it at the edge of the tomb. Then shovel the earth and bury the coffin.

Celestial burial is a popular burial style in pastoral areas. Also known as wild burial or abandoned burial. Take off the old clothes of the deceased after death, put on new clothes or wrap the whole body with white cloth. Put the body on the Lele car, drive in a hurry and let it bump at will. Where there are dead bodies, there are auspicious burial places. Then, the coachman drove Lele's car back and went straight home without looking back. Three days later, the family of the deceased went to see it. If the body was eaten by animals, it was considered that the deceased had ascended to heaven or entered "heaven"; If the body is intact, it is considered that the sins of the deceased have not disappeared before his death, which is also an ominous sign for his descendants. Therefore, we should ask lamas to recite scriptures, repent for the dead and eliminate sins. And put a layer of butter on the body so that the animals can eat it as soon as possible. After the celestial burial, the descendants of the deceased generally don't shave their heads, drink or entertain, and pedestrians in Lu Yu don't greet each other to show their condolences.

All kinds of taboos

In the old society, there was a feudal superstition that men were superior to women, and there were many taboos about women among Mongolians.

Except housewives, ordinary women can't participate in important sacrificial activities; In farmhouses in East Mongolia or semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas, women are not qualified to take part in grain harvesting, or even allowed to watch it on the spot. I'm afraid I won't get anything after I wash away the ghosts and gods. In addition, women are not allowed to go to the house, because when they go to the house, they step on their heads. Mongols believe that the top of the head is sacred. For this reason, women are not allowed to sit on men's hats. Once they sit down, they should wrap fire or incense sticks around their hats three times. Similarly, you can't fold the quilt in the morning in the order of pillow, bedding and pillow at home. You should fold them in the order of bedding and pillow. All the dirty things and papers used by women should be buried.

Fire taboo and water taboo

Mongols worship fire, Vulcan and Kitchen God, and think that fire, Vulcan or Kitchen God are sacred objects to ward off evil spirits. Therefore, after entering the yurt, it is forbidden to roast your feet on the stove, let alone wet your boots and shoes by the stove. Don't cross the stove, or pedal the stove, don't knock on the cigarette bag, throw things or throw dirty things on the stove. You can't pick a fire with a knife, you can't insert a knife into the fire, and you can't take meat from the pot with a knife.

Water taboo is also one of Mongolian taboos. Because Mongolians believe that water is a pure god. Therefore, it is forbidden to wash hands or bathe in the river, and it is not allowed to wash women's dirty clothes or throw unclean things into the river. Another main reason is that the grassland is dry and short of water, and grazing by aquatic plants can't survive without water. It can be seen that protecting the water source and caring for the water flow is a major event related to their survival. Changchun Zhenren/KLOC-The Journey to the West in the 0/3rd century recorded: "In order not to blaspheme the water god, China people really don't bathe in the river, and their clothes are broken beyond comprehension." These taboos are even determined by law. In spring and summer, don't go into the water during the day, don't wash your hands in the river, and don't draw water with gold and silver utensils. Therefore, herdsmen are used to saving water and keeping it clean.

Contraindications of childbirth, illness and funeral.

The long-term nomadic life of Mongolians has formed many unique customs and taboos, and there are also specific taboos in the production of pregnant women. The taboos of Mongolian women when giving birth to children are similar everywhere. Specifically, there are the following: during pregnancy, it is forbidden to let two pregnant women sit face to face; When offering sacrifices to the kitchen god, it is forbidden to let pregnant women participate; Married women are forbidden to give birth in their mother's house; As for unclean places, it is forbidden to bury afterbirth; Mongolian women

Be a taboo for guests

Mongolian herdsmen on the grassland live a traditional life, so there are many taboos. Pay special attention to the communication with herders on the grassland, otherwise it will bring unhappiness.

Sitting in a yurt, be careful not to step on the threshold of herders. Also, don't step on the brazier. Don't point the knife at the host when eating. The sitting position is also very particular. Men sit on the left and women sit on the right. No mixed sitting. Also, pay special attention to the fact that if you live in a yurt, guests should sleep on the west side of the yurt. East of the yurt is where the hostess sleeps. I must pay great attention to this. Of course, it would be better if there were separate yurts. Some rumors about the strange customs of herders on the grasslands in the mainland are misinformed, so don't take them seriously.

Others should also pay attention to the fact that if there is a fire in front of the door or a sign such as a red cloth strip is hung, it means that there are patients or parturients in this house, and outsiders are forbidden to enter. Go to the herdsmen's house by horse and car. When approaching the yurt, you must ride slowly so as not to disturb the cattle. When you get off the horse and walk nearby, you should put the whip outside the door and then enter the bag. If you bring it into the bag, it will be considered as disrespectful to the owner. Walk on the left after entering the door, and sit on the right side of the owner accompanied by the owner after entering the bag; Go the same way when you leave the bag, and then get on the horse when the Fujian master comes back. When handing tea or wine to a guest, the guest must bend over and pick it up with both hands. It is forbidden to beat the dining table, rice bowl, etc with chopsticks. And people think that only beggars can beat chopsticks. Guests generally drink milk tea sent by their hosts, and it is impolite not to drink it; Don't refuse the host's request for dairy products, otherwise it will hurt the host's heart. If it's inconvenient to eat more, just eat a little. Offering Hada is also a noble courtesy of Mongols. When offering Hada, the giver hands it down to the other party, and the recipient also takes it with both hands or lets the giver hang Hada around his neck to express his gratitude.