New Year on lunar calendar All residents of Buryatia celebrate together with their friends and relatives, demonstrating respect for the national customs of the Buryats. "Sagaalgan" as a public holiday of the Republic of Buryatia is a symbol of friendship, unity and harmony among the multinational population of the republic. Declared a day off, it naturally complements and completes the series new year holidays Russians.

Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in Mongolia, countries of Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam.

In Buryatia, in the last decade, traditions of celebrating the White Moon Holiday have developed. The holiday lasts a whole month, the New Year itself is celebrated on the first three days.

Preparations for Sagaalgan begin long before the holiday. First, it is necessary to put in order all the economic affairs for the preparation of firewood, hay. Men polish or order new harnesses for their horses. Women are engaged in cleaning and sewing clothes. All families are engaged in cleaning the house and in the yards, ruthlessly throw away old and broken things. Then it is necessary to fumigate household members, cattle, house and all buildings with incense.

In most datsans, special solemn services are held - khurals. Believers gather in the courtyard of the datsan, where there is a cone-shaped structure "Dugzhuuba" made of boards and firewood, covered with fabric, with a likeness of flames. Paper flags are attached to this cone, rushing up. "Dugzhuuba" is a symbol of all human sins in a year. Toward evening, the rite of burning Dugzhuuba is performed. Everyone who wants to bring pieces of cloth or a piece of unleavened dough, having previously wiped themselves and household members with them. In the process of burning "Dugzhuuba", you need to throw the brought pieces into a burning fire. By doing this, you protect yourself and your loved ones from diseases, misfortunes and bad thoughts, performing the rite of purification by fire. Now you can safely meet Sagaalgan with a pure soul and body.

There you can also order a prayer that protects you and your loved ones from ailments and wish happiness, joy and good luck in the coming year. A special prayer must be ordered for people whose year of birth according to the eastern 12-year animal calendar is coming, as the next cycle of life ends and a new one begins.

The next day, prayers are read to the goddess - the guardian of the faith Lkhamo, who is also the patroness of the Ivolginsky datsan. According to legend, on this day she makes a round of the whole earth, counting livestock and people. At dawn, when the New Year comes into its own, a fifteen-day khural is arranged in all datsans, dedicated to victory Buddha over the enemies of his teachings. According to legend, this is exactly how long it took the Buddha to win by manifesting various miracles. At the same time, lamas read sacred books and prayers, pray for fertility, health, prosperity and well-being in the New Year.

Sagaalgan can be conditionally divided into three main phases: eve, the first day of the New Year, the rest of the month.

New Year's Eve

On the eve (butuu uder), it is desirable for everyone to be at home, among their relatives and friends. On this day, no less important rituals are performed than on the first day of the New Year, including the symbolic rite of “breaking” or “opening” any objects. This is a form of manifestation of the ancient magical action of breaking the old and clearing the way for the new. For example, they take out meat prepared for the winter, take out a shovel or tibia of a ram (hulde) and extract from it Bone marrow, containing vitality livestock

Another New Year's Eve rite is "Burha delgehe", or worship of household deities. Buryat Buddhist believers in each house in the northern or northeastern side had a shrine (khoimor), where sculptures and sacred books or other Buddhist objects were placed, images of Buddhist deities were hung. Everyone who came to the house, first of all, rushed to the goddess to testify their respect to the deities. Before the images of the deities, a lamp (itch) was lit, incense (sanze) was burned, various treats were placed, for example, dairy products, cookies and other sweets on trays. The mutton brisket (ubsuun), which was served along with the thigh bone (mojo semgen), had magical significance. Such a treat (buuleg tabiha) should stand for several days.

The rite "Dalga" was considered especially significant - an offering to the owner of the fire, in which all family members participated. Everyone broke off pieces of food from all dishes and threw them into the fire, saying: “The old year, a new one has come, I make a sacrifice with the brisket of a white sheep. May death and suffering disappear, may happiness and well-being be established.

Only after that, everyone sat down together at the festive table. The abundance of the festive table had its magical meaning - the richer the treat, the better the next year will be. Therefore, the table abounded most of all with dairy dishes, which symbolized a good milk yield and an excellent offspring of livestock in the coming year.

Kitchen

National dishes deserve special attention - there are at least a dozen lamb dishes. These are boiled lamb in broth (buheleer), lamb head (toolei), which was served to the most respected and honored guest, brisket (ubsuun), blood sausage in the ventricle (hotyn shuһan), liver and blood sausage (ereelzhe), spin (oreomog), rectum (hoshkhonog). And, of course, not a single table in Sagaalgan is complete without poses (buuza).

Dairy dishes are used to prepare cottage cheese (airkhan), homemade cheese (khuruud), and salamat. For sweets, milk foams (urmen) and unleavened biscuits of various shapes fried in boiling oil (boovy) are served.

Specially for the New Year, in the old days, they distilled milk vodka (that archi), although it is forbidden to drink on the eve of the holiday. In general, on the days of the holiday, the use of alcohol was limited or not welcomed at all.

On New Year's Eve, everyone had to try all the dishes without fail, it was undesirable to leave the table unsatisfied. After the festive treat was over, everyone went to bed early so as not to miss the dawn in the morning.

First day of the New Year

Early in the morning on New Year's Day, the host should be the first to go outside to greet the sunrise with gifts from the family. It was obligatory to offer sacrifices to the spirit of the area. D. Banzarov wrote about the custom of erecting an altar of stone or dry manure (argala) in front of each yurt at sunrise on the first morning of the New Year. Then fragrant herbs were burned here.

After that, the whole family walked around the dais and prayed, kneeling down. Now this rite is not performed in this form, as well as collective exits to the place of residence of the spirit-patron of the area. Over time, the collective exit of the family was abolished. Currently, men, on behalf of the whole family, go to the local obo. They kindle a fire, burn incense, present gifts to the spirits of the area, say prayers asking for well-being, fertility and a rich offspring, and bypass the obo in the sun.

New Year's festivities

With the completion of all obligatory ceremonies, the festivities began. The whole first day passed in mutual congratulations, receiving guests and visiting guests. First of all, members of each family congratulated each other, it was obligatory to visit parents and older relatives with the presentation of gifts and good wishes (yurol).

In Sagaalgan, gift exchange is obligatory. It can be a scarf, a piece of fabric, a tea bag for a woman; tobacco, hadak (a sign of special honor in the form of a piece of white, blue or yellow color) for a man, sweets or money for children. AT last years searching for a gift is not difficult. The assortment of goods in stores provides ample opportunities for choosing a token of attention.

Treating family members and guests is considered important and significant. The most honored guests in the old days sat on the north side of the yurt, younger men on the right side, women on the left. The feast begins with the fact that the host with a sharp knife, according to all the rules of the art of cutting meat, separates the pieces from the sacrum of the ram and treats them to the guests, starting with the oldest. A well-sharpened knife indicates that the head of the family is an excellent host. The knife should cut like clockwork. The hostess distributes bowls of milk vodka to the guests (in the absence of which different varieties are now used), Each guest must drink or sip the offered three bowls of vodka, then etiquette allows you to avoid alcohol.

Then, after a treat with family and closest friends and relatives, a continuous chain of walking from yurt to yurt began. It happened that people agreed in advance on the order of walking. Usually the oldest and most respected relatives were visited first. Then it was the turn of the others. Visiting smartly decorated houses formed the so-called public opinion about the owner and mistress, their children and relatives.

The New Year greeting zolgokh deserves special attention. When the younger one extends both hands to the elder (or the woman to the man, if they are the same age), palms up, the elder, in turn, puts his hands on top, palms down, the younger supports the elder under the elbows. Among the Agin Buryats, it is supplemented with one more detail: the younger one approaches the older one, holding on outstretched arms hadak, puts it on the outstretched hands of the elder, he returns it, shifting it to the brush right hand the younger, and only after that both perform zolgokh. Women did not receive a hadak, but simply a scarf, and when performing the ceremony, unlike men, they do not take off their hats, and the cuffs of their sleeves are lowered.

First "happy" guest

On the first day of Sagaalgan, everyone should only celebrate and the big ones should do nothing. There is a belief that more guests looks into the house, the happier the coming year will be. It matters a lot who gets in first. The first guest or the first person met on the street is very important person among many peoples, not only among the Buryats. Meeting him is magical. In the first met or in the first visitors, different properties were valued: wealth, large families, intelligence and other qualities. Preferably it should be a man. But most of all they valued their "happiness", i.e. the ability to magically endow everyone who gets in their way with their happiness.

It is important to note that Sagaalgan was not only the date of counting the real time, but also the birthday - on this day all the Buryats added one year to their age. Before the revolution, it was not customary for the Buryats to memorize or write down the date of birth. Even if someone was born in half a year or even a month, then another year was attributed to him. The year was added to the cattle. This custom is still observed in the villages. The spring offspring grew over the summer, and in the autumn the foal turned into a one-year-old lonchak, and the calf became a one-year-old surf. Related to this is a peculiar form of greeting, traditionally used only on New Year's Eve. Those who met for the first time in Sagaalgan asked each other: “Are the muscles of the chipper strong? Is the lunchbox well fed? And they hear in response: "Strong, strong, well-fed, well-fed."

New Year's games and divination

The evening of the first day of Sagaalgan in the old days was full of entertainment. The people gathered in one of the yurts, often it was the yurt of the oldest and respected resident ulus, sang songs, listened to storytellers (Uligershins), played the morin-khur. Sometimes on the very first evening, and in some places only on the third day, fortunetelling and games were arranged.

Fortune-telling was the work of lamas-astrologers (zurhai), who could make an individual horoscope for everyone who wished, using a special table of astrological calculations and a guide to it, set out in the Buddhist work Binder Garav. This was usually done on the eve of Sagaalgan, because among the advice, instructions played a significant role in which direction the first step should be taken from the yurt on the morning of the first new year's day what is necessary or, conversely, in no case should one step over and how to eliminate the threat of any danger or trouble. All this was called seer gargaha i.e. Literally, "take out bad luck." And the old people, having gathered in a yurt, based on centuries-old folk experience and observations, predicted by the weather and the behavior of animals, what kind of reptile would be, whether the offspring of livestock would be large. In a number of places, the custom is noted of carving out of felt or wood a figurine of the animal in the year of which a person was born. It is stored: for a year, and then thrown away.

The games that were played in the early days of Sagaalgan were quite diverse: chess (Tatars), dominoes (daaluu). They are played everywhere and are not associated with any particular season of the year. But there are also such games, the symbolism of which is associated specifically with Sagaalgan: these are “motley turtle” (alag melhy), “drive a deer” (buga tabiha), “shoot money” (step haroaha), “grab money” (step shuurehe), "circle" (khorlo), etc. Each of them has a certain philosophical or magical meaning.

At the beginning of the XX century. the Buryats knew several dozen games of grandmas (walk). Researchers see in them a relationship with the magic of fertility in cattle breeding. In the game walk harvakh, for example, they lined up a chain of 8 or 12 grandmas, stacking them two by two, and “shooted” other grandmas at the target using a special board. The one with the most money at the end of the game wins. In the game shagai niilehe, grandmothers were tossed up and then collected on the ground or on the floor in pairs, lying with the same sides up. Then, snapping a finger, they “shot” one grandmother at another, trying not to hurt the neighbors. With a successful “shot”, the player took both bones for himself. Again, the one who scored the most money by the end of the game won.

In the game alag melkhy, out of 88 or 92 attendants, they laid out the figure of a turtle. Sequentially, each of the players rolled a six-sided die with dots from one to six marked on each side, and according to what number fell out, they took the corresponding number of grandmothers from the turtle figure. In all these games, concentration is in one hand a large number bones should have magically contributed to an increase in the offspring of their owner's livestock.

In the popular New Year's game Khorlo used 60 wooden square tablets: 48 were four times repeated images of animals of a 12-year cycle, and 12 tablets were three times repeated images of a circle (khorlo), a precious stone (zendemeni), the king of birds - Garuda and a lion. The last 12 tablets had a greater magical value in this game than the first 48. Of all the tablets, 12 piles were laid out, five in each, and divided between the participants in the game, who could be from two to 12 and who had to lay out a yurt from these tablets. In the beginning, less valuable tablets were used, as the end of the game approached, more valuable ones were used. The winner was the one who placed in the center, associated with the smoke hole of the yurt, the tablet with the image of a horlo (there were only three of them) that had the highest value. This game had cosmic symbolism. The numbers 3, 4, 5, 12, 60 are endowed with important semantic significance in the mythology and cosmogony of the Mongols (the threefold nature of time and space: the world is upper, middle, lower, i.e. underground; time past, present, future; four cardinal points, five elements universe; 12 and 60 years - calendar cycles). All of them in combination with each other allow some researchers to consider this game as a kind of action of cosmic creation, in which laying out a yurta from game plates acts as an analogue to the creation of the world. Each of the games provides for a large number of participants, and the evenings of the first days of Sagaalgan are the most suitable time for them.

The first three days of the new year are the most eventful. However, the rest of the month is considered a holiday. Visiting continues, it is possible and even recommended to go to relatives living in remote areas and exchange greetings and gifts with them.

In former, distant times, a brave hunter, a well-aimed shooter lived in the world. He always hit without a miss, never came home empty-handed.

But then one day he walked through the forest all day and until the evening he did not meet either an animal or a bird. Tired, exhausted, he went to bed. He sleeps and sees a strange dream: a yellow fog fell on him, and then a motley fog approached. The hunter woke up and sees: a yellow fog is approaching him. He was frightened, grabbed his bow, put an arrow in, but a human voice was heard from the fog:
- Do not shoot me, brave hunter, I will not harm you. The fog became even thicker, denser and turned into a yellow snake with colorful rattling wings. The Spotted Serpent said:
- Let's be friends, brave hunter, well-aimed shooter. I need your help. For many years I have been at war with the yellow-winged serpent and I cannot overcome it. Together we will defeat him.
- I'm ready to help you, - said the hunter.
“Then let’s go to the valley where the battle will be,” said the motley-winged serpent.
They came to a wide valley.
“Our battle will be long,” said the variegated serpent. We will ascend to the sky three times and descend to the earth three times. When we rise for the fourth time, my enemy will overcome me, take over; when we go down, he will be at the top and I will be at the bottom. At this time, do not yawn: I will turn his yellow head towards you, and you shoot in his only eye. This eye is in his forehead, in the very middle of his forehead. Now hide in this hole, soon the yellow-winged serpent will rush from the sky right at me.
The hunter hid in a hole.
Soon, a yellow-winged serpent rushed from the sky. The battle has begun. The snakes, having grappled, rose three times to the sky, three times fell to the ground. The forces were equal. But now they rose to the sky for the fourth time, and the yellow-winged serpent overcame the motley-winged one. When they descended, the yellow-winged one was above and the variegated-winged one was below. But the motley-winged one quickly turned the head of his enemy to the hunter. The sharpshooter was just waiting for that. The string of his bow was drawn. A moment was enough for him to shoot an arrow and pierce the yellow eye of a yellow-winged serpent. And then a yellow poisonous fog fell on the ground, from which all the trees in the forest withered, and all the animals died. The hunter was saved by a variegated serpent. He covered his friend with mighty dense wings and kept him under them for three days and three nights until the yellow poisonous fog dissipated.
And when the sun shone again, the variegated serpent said:
We have defeated a formidable enemy. Thank you hunter. The yellow-winged serpent did a lot of harm. Every day he swallowed three beasts and devoured the fiery serpents, my subjects. If not for you, he would have killed me and devoured all the fire kites. Come visit me. You will see my palace, my subjects, my old parents.
The hunter agreed, and he and the serpent descended into a deep pit, and from there through an underground passage they got into a palace sparkling with gold and precious stones. On the floor lay fiery serpents coiled into coils. One room was followed by another, even richer. And so they came to the largest hall. In it, near the hearth, sat two old multi-winged snakes.
“These are my parents,” said the serpent. The hunter greeted them.
- This hunter saved me and all my khanate, - said the serpent. - He killed our old enemy.
"Thank you," said the snake's old parents. - You will be rewarded for this. If you want, we will give you gold and precious stones how much you can carry. If you want, we will teach seven ten languages, so that you can understand the conversations of birds, animals and fish. Choose!
“Teach me seventy languages,” said the hunter.
- Take better gold and jewelry, - said the old parents of the snake. - For someone who knows seventy languages, life is not easy.
“No, I don’t want gold, teach me languages,” the hunter asked.
"Well, have it your way," said the old motley-winged serpent. - From now on you know seventy languages, from now on you hear the conversations of birds, fish and animals. But this is a secret. You must keep it from people. If you let it slip, you will die the same day.
The hunter left the Spotted Serpent Khanate and went home. He walks through the forest and rejoices: after all, he understands everything that animals and birds say among themselves. The hunter came out of the forest. Here is the yurt. "I'll go into it," he thinks. And the dog barks:
- Don't come in here. Although it is a rich yurt, our owner is mean. Here you will not only meat - they will not give you milk.
The hunter moved on. Near another yurt, a dog barks:
- Come here, traveler. Although this is a poor man's yurt, but our host is kind, he will treat you. We have only one cow, but the owner will give you milk, we have only one black ram, but the owner pays the last ram for the guest.
The hunter entered the poor man's yurt. The owner politely greeted him, seated him in a place of honor. The host's wife served the guest a bowl of milk. The poor man invited the hunter to spend the night, and in the evening killed a black ram for him. As they ate, the dog whined:
- Good guest, drop the mutton shoulder, I will grab it and run out, the owner will not be angry with you.
The hunter dropped his shovel. The dog grabbed her and ran away. And then she barked:
- A kind guest treated me to a delicious spatula. I will not sleep all night, I will guard the yurt.
The wolves came at night. They stopped near the poor man's yurt and howled:
- Now we'll pull the horse!
- My master has only one horse, you can't eat it. If you come closer, I will raise a loud bark. The owner will wake up, his guest-hunter will wake up, and then you will be unhappy. Better go there, to the rich man, bully his fat gray mare, he has many horses, and his dogs are hungry, they will not want to bark at you.

For the change of year Wooden Goat on Eastern calendar the year comes red fire monkey which will start February 9, 2016- after the completion of the first complete cycle of the moon, counting from the day winter solstice. The next Eastern New Year will be celebrated at dawn on the 9th (beginning of the first day of the lunar month).

The normal cycle of the lunar calendar is 12 years. Full, or Big, cycle - 60 years. It consists of five ordinary cycles of 12 years. Each 12 year cycle is based on a legend. It says that the Buddha, before leaving the Earth, called all the animals to him. However, only 12 of them came to say goodbye to the Buddha. Parting with them, the Buddha gave each of them one year of reign. The years were presented in exactly the order in which the animals ran to the Buddha: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.

A big holiday is approaching - Sagaalgan. For your attention the most detailed instructions how to celebrate this bright day.

As a rule, preparations for the celebration begin long before the start of the holiday, usually a month before the start of the holiday. For the future, they prepare dairy food - sour cream, aarsu, butter - meat and other products. The farm is carefully cleaned, garbage is taken out of the yard. Perfect purity symbolizes the purity of human thoughts. Otherwise, deities, creatures from the ten directions of the world and other guests will not enter the house.

Sagaalgan is the birthday of every Mongol. Remember how we prepare for it. The Mongolian peoples say: how you celebrate the new year, so you will spend it.

DUGZHUUBA - burning of sins

On the 29th day of the lunar calendar - this year it falls on February 7- held rite "Dugzhuuba", symbolizing the destruction in fire of the enemies of faith, and which all Buddhists try to visit.

In the ritual fire "Dugzhuuba" all the impurities of the body, speech and mind of each person are burned. To do this, the laity bring with them pieces of dough, cotton wool or paper, with which they first wipe their body, after which they throw them in the place where the entire Sor will be burned.

The rite of "Dugzhuuba" is held in datsans usually two days before Sagaalgan. For this rite is made Sor- a tall pyramid topped with a skull made of slats, paper and dough, resembling an arrowhead.

Under ritual prayers, the bad karma of the community over the past year is "invested" in Sor and then solemnly burned at the stake.

The fight against the enemies of faith, symbolizes and linga rite: a figurine of a torma is also molded for him, personifying evil and enemies of faith, which is then solemnly cut into 12 parts and burned as a sacrifice to the lord of death, Yama.

The next day after "Dugzhuuba" - the thirtieth day according to the lunar calendar - the "Mandal Shiva" Khural is held in datsans. Last day of the new year according to the lunar calendar February 8) is "closed afternoon" (butuu uder).

Butuu uder

On this day, you need to clean up the home altar in a new way, be sure to place offerings to the deities in the form of meat dish, as well as " tobacco"- a ritual offering (bread, gingerbread, cookies, bova, sweets, refined sugar, marshmallows, etc.), consisting according to the rules of nine floors, which is crowned with a piece butter. On this day, it is necessary to ignite Zula(lamp), the light of which will illuminate your further path in this and the next lives.

Festive decoration of the yurt.

In "butuu uder" categorically it is forbidden to raise dust in the house- It is necessary to clean the house in advance. Buddhists are encouraged to read holy books, recite mantras, prostrate, and do good deeds.

It is highly undesirable to drink alcohol, you should also refrain from eating meat.

It is necessary to meet Sagaalgan, having properly prepared for it - with pure thoughts, in a pure place.

Do not oversleep the dawn!

On the first day of Sagaalgan gotta get up very early at 4-5 o'clock in the morning. According to legend, in the early morning, before sunrise, a deity enters every house. Baldan-Lhamo, which counts all people. Those who overslept her arrival are considered to miss their happiness for a whole year. And those who were awake at that time, on the contrary, will acquire the protection of the Buddhist goddess Lhamo, and they will be accompanied by good luck and success throughout the year.

After morning washing, it is necessary to light Zula, burn sanzai or worse(incense), present tahil(offering) Three jewels(Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), and on the street to bring sergem(offering in the form of tea, milk, or vodka) to the deities and masters of the area, splashing on all sides with the words "Om Ah Hum".

After that, the Buddhists go to the datsan, where they celebrate the White Moon holiday together with the clergy.

Visit relatives and hang out Hii Morin

It is customary to start the first day of Sagaalgan with a tour of the district congratulations to parents, present them hadak, gifts. When meeting with elders, it is necessary to be neatly dressed, fastened with all buttons.

present hadak you need to palms up, after supporting the hands of the older person from below. In this case, the palms turned upwards symbolize the purity of thoughts, and the support by the elbows - respect for old age and wisdom.

If relatives meet, then one hand remains at the top, and with the other hand they support the elbow from below. After the greeting, they step aside, while trying not to show their back. Men on the right side of the house, women on the left, in age order. After that, they sit down at the table.

On a holiday, they visit their relatives, friends and acquaintances, thereby strengthening relationships and teaching the younger ones to early age observe traditions and customs. When visiting, you must definitely go to the altar and pray, after which you can, at the invitation of the hosts, go to the festive table.

In the days of Sagaalgan, usually on the second day according to the lunar calendar, takes place rite of "launching the horse of the winds"- using the image of the "horse of the winds" ( Hii morin), consecrated by a lama.

"Khiy morin" is tied to a tree or placed on the roof of the house so that it flutters in the wind.

It is believed that the "horse of the winds" serves as a powerful protection against misfortune and disease, attracting the attention of higher beings and calling for the help of deities. His image also symbolizes the wish of health, happiness and prosperity in the new year to all living beings.

Buddhism is a traditional religion among several peoples of Russia: among the Kalmyks, Buryats and Tuvans. Buddhism is also quite popular in the Altai Republic, the Irkutsk region, Khakassia and Transbaikalia. Therefore, the Buddhist New Year, which is celebrated at the end of winter, is a significant holiday for all of Russia and especially for Siberia.

The origin of the holiday

To be precise, Sagaalgan is not a holiday for all Buddhists, but only for those who practice the so-called Lamaism, which has absorbed many shamanic and pagan traditions from the Turkic and Mongolian peoples.

Actually, this holiday originates in ancient Mongolia. It was originally called Tsagan Sar (or Sagan Sar), which means " white moon". Tsagan Sar at that time was a holiday of milk (hence the name). It was celebrated in the fall, when the procurement of dairy products for the future ended, which meant the end of the year.

In XIII, when the Wunk of Genghis Khan Khubilai ruled the Mongols and the Chinese, the Chinese astrological calendar was in use. In it, the beginning of the year fell on the end of winter (the calendar was tied to the phases of the moon, so there was never a fixed date). Kublai transferred Tsagan Sar to this time. Later, when the power of the Mongols in China came to an end, the Chinese stopped celebrating Tsagaan Sar, but in Mongolia the tradition of celebrating it at the end of winter according to the lunar calendar has been preserved.

Buddhism and the New Year

After 4 centuries, Tibetan Buddhism came to Mongolia, which harmoniously merged with local traditions. As a result, Tsagaan Sar received a new religious meaning.

The holiday began to be associated with the name of the angry Tibetan goddess Baldan Lhamo, who saved the sun from the mongoose demons, thanks to which spring came. Also on this day, Tsagan Uvgun (White Elder), who is the keeper of fertility and longevity in Mongolian mythology, is revered.

On this day, Buddhists observed a one-day fast and made a sacrifice to the spirits: they burned a black pyramid, which symbolized the evil accumulated over the year.

With the spread of Buddhism to the north and east, the Tsagaan Sar holiday was adopted by other peoples. Due to the peculiarities of the languages, the name has changed slightly. So today the Siberian Tatars call it Tsagan ai, the Altaians - Chaga-Bayram, the Tuvans - Shagaa, the Buryats - Sagaalgan.

Festive traditions of Sagaalgan

Preparations for Sagaalgan begin in advance. First of all, they bring absolute cleanliness in the house and in the yard. Cleanliness in the household symbolizes the purity of thoughts - the deity will not be visited by a sloppy owner.

Believers invite a lama to the house, who performs the rite of purification Gutor. At the same time, it is customary to eat plentifully. The rest of the food is dumped into a deep bowl, rags and a figure of a man made of dough, painted red, are placed there - all this symbolizes the evil accumulated over the year. In the evening, this bowl is taken out into the wasteland and thrown away with the words: “Get out of here!” After that, you need to quickly, without looking back, return to the house.

In datsans (Buddhist monasteries) a festive prayer service is held. Like many centuries ago, Baldan Lhamo is revered and a ritual fire is arranged in which the “impurities” of the mind, body and speech are burned.

Also, before entering the new year, you need to spend a one-day fast: clean up the altars, refrain from meat and alcohol.

Festive dishes

Until now, since ancient times, the tradition has been preserved to associate this holiday with milk. Therefore, it is customary to serve a lot of dairy products on the table: butter, sour cream, cottage cheese.

It is also customary to serve a lot of meat dishes from beef, horse meat and lamb. In Buryatia, it is considered special chic to prepare poses (or buuzas). This is a traditional Buryat dish related to khinkali and mantams. Poses are molded in the shape of a cup with a hole at the top, and thus they repeat the shape of the yurt.

In addition, on holiday table there must be a lot of different sweets.

The official status of Sagaalgan in Russia

Today Sagaalgan is a public holiday in Transbaikalia, the Republics of Altai, Tuva Buryatia, Khakassia, Yakutia and in the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug in the Irkutsk Region. In these regions, colorful festivities.

In Buryatia, for example, as part of the celebration of Sagaalgan, a festival is held annually national traditions Buuzin Bayar. During the holiday, folk festivals are organized with bright theatrical performances, traditional games and, of course, tasting of delicious Buryat buuz (poses).

The Chaga Bayram festival is taking place in the Altai Republic. Here this holiday is usually called the Altai New Year.

Visually, the entire central tribune of the main indoor sports arena of Buryatia was filled with spectators. These are residents of the capital of the republic, representatives of the largest ethnic group of the Buryat people - Khori-Buryats, members of the compatriot communities of Khorinsky, Kizhinginsky, Eravninsky, Bauntovsky, Zaigraevsky, Mukhorshibirsky, Bichursky districts of Buryatia, guests from the Aginsky Buryat district of the Trans-Baikal Territory, eastern aimags of Mongolia, Shenekhen Buryats from China.

Photo: Orchestra of Buryat Folk Instruments of the Baikal State Song and Dance Theater

in the photo: the organizers of the Khori-Buryat Sagaalgan declare about 1200-1300 guests who were present at this holiday

Among the guests are many well-known people in Buryatia and beyond its borders, politicians, cultural and art figures.

A native of the Khorinsky district, the former Minister of Education and Science of Buryatia, and now a deputy of the State Duma of Russia, Aldar Damdinov, was noticed. He came to the event in a stylized black oriental jacket, refused the status of an honored guest, bought a ticket for the holiday together with ordinary guests and participated in it, being in the thick of the people on the podium and communicating friendly with everyone - acquaintances and strangers.

Another well-known politician and businessman, deputy of the People’s Khural, Bato Semenov, a native of the Mukhorshibirsky district, said in his speech that the already accomplished unification of the Khori-Buryats, who have been celebrating the Buryat New Year together since last year (and not by regional compatriots, as before), is the basis for the future unification of all ethnic groups of the Buryats.

in the photo: speech by the deputy of the People's Khural Bato Semenov

The chairman of the People's Khural of Buryatia, Tsyren-Dashi Dorzhiev (representative of the Yeravninsky district), who was present at the celebration, this time was dressed in a suit and tie. Unlike last year, he behaved in an emphatically official manner, folk fun"breaking a mutton bone" did not participate and did not claim to receive prizes from the trade network "Absolut" and OJSC "Moloko".

photo: Chairman of the People's Khural Tsyren-Dashi Dorzhiev and other honored guests

Among the guests of honor of the holiday was a whole delegation of Khongodors (another ethnic group of Buryats) from Tunka, headed by the chairman of the district Council of Deputies Alamzhi Syrenov. The latter, as you know, last year initiated the construction on the territory of Russia (in the Tunkinsky district of Buryatia) of a grandiose monument to the ancestor of the Mongols, the Khori-Tumat queen Alan-goa, who is a symbol of the unity of all Mongolian peoples.

in the photo: a delegation from the Tunkinsky district and Alamzhi Syrenov, the initiator of the construction of a monument to Queen Alan-Goa

The festive performance, directed by the director of the Buryat State Song and Dance Theater "Baikal" Dandar Badluev, as in the previous year, included performances by theater artists and other masters of the Buryat art, folk games, yurools - good wishes of the guests.

In the photo: Soelma Dagayeva, General Director of the Informpolis Publishing House, demonstrated her ability to speak in the Buryat language and a new dress in oriental style

photo: festive concert program of Khori-Buryat Sagaalgan

The audience was especially warmly received by the dance number "Dance of the Swans" of the "Baikal" theater, dedicated to Khun-Shubuun (the swan princess, progenitor of the Khori-Buryats and Khongodori). This number was recently successfully shown at a charity ball at the famous Dresden Opera House, where the Baikal Theater once again glorified Buryat art in Europe.

on video: “Dance of the Swans” at the Dresden Opera

Completed the concert holiday program Buryat pop star Madegma Dorzhieva.

The sponsors of the festival “Khori-Buryat Sagaalgan-2017” were the deputy of the State Duma of Russia Aldar Damdinov, the head of the Shenekhen community Dashitsyren, the businessman Baatarzhab Balzhinimaev, the deputy of the People’s Khural of Buryatia Arkady Damdinov, as well as the TV presenter and editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Ulan-Ude - city good traditions”Batodalai Bagdaev.

In China and Buryatia the advent of the new year is associated with the onset of spring, it is the beginning of the awakening of nature that is considered in these countries to be the coming of the New Year. In Buddhism, as well as in Christianity, there are some discrepancies with the dates (the first spring new moon is between the end of January and the middle of March), and the Buryat New Year does not always coincide with chinese celebration. And they call this holiday in Buryatia in their own way - Sagaalgan, which means White Moon. Three days before Sagaalgan, a prayer service dedicated to the dharmapalas (defender deities) of the Teachings is held in the temples, and the day before (during the whole day and night) there are solemn khural services, which end by 6 in the morning.

It is supposed to meet this month with white food and pure thoughts. The Buryats consider white food as milk and fermented milk products: cottage cheese and sour cream, cheese and kurunga. Kurunga is a close relative of kefir, and many who have tasted it for the first time say that it tastes a lot like the Bifidok drink.

On the eve of the New Year (“butu”), the Buryats are supposed to be only in the family circle. When the “butu” ends, the Buryat New Year is considered to have come. The festivity spills over the threshold of the house, and visiting begins. Exactly a month before the new moon, the Buryats go from house to house, congratulating neighbors, friends and relatives, near and far. Family ties among the Buryats are very strong, and they sacredly honor their family up to the tenth generation. Thus, in order to congratulate all relatives, the White Moon may not be enough for them. Sagaalgaan in Buryatia is a favorite holiday not only for the Buryats, but also for other nationalities inhabiting the republic, as well as for guests who come to rest in Buryatia. Be sure that in every house you will be greeted with white food and seated in a place of honor for guests.

Often on the table you can see and traditional Buryat dish "buuza". Under the influence of the Russian language, the word "buuza" began to be pronounced as "poses", and in all corners of Buryatia, and in some other regions, establishments of the Buryat national cuisine are called "Poznaya". "Buuza" are large dumplings with a hole in the top, which is left for steam to escape during their preparation. They are steamed for about half an hour and are incredibly tasty. They eat the poses, taking them exclusively with their hands, first biting the "buuza" in the lower part and drinking the broth that has accumulated inside. Don't forget the traditional Buryat greeting. When the host reaches out to meet you with arms bent at the elbows, you need to do the same, but put your hands on top if the host is older. If the owner is younger, you need to grab his hands from below, if possible, taking his elbows in the palm of your hand. Older people in Buryatia are especially revered, and often children call their parents and other older relatives “you”.

Like the Chinese, the Buryats adhere to the twelve-year cycle of reckoning. Every twelve years, either a horse, or a mouse, or another animal comes to "reign". Only in each "advent" they change their color and element. AT 2012 the black dragon will be crowned which will come from the water element. Do not be afraid, the black dragon will not bring you harm - according to Buddhist beliefs, the dragon brings happiness and peace to the house. This is the only mythical animal in the twelve-year cycle, and the greatest expectations and the most trembling hopes are associated with its arrival.