The charm of Mongolia is unquestionable: a vast land with very few inhabitants, where ancestral traditions have never really given way to modernity. During a trip to Mongolia it is mesmerizing to immerse in local habits, share a meal with local people, sleep in a traditional ger and rediscover contact with nature that here, especially in winter, does not make concessions to anyone.
For those preparing for a trip to Mongolia, here are the basic facts to know before the great adventure.
It is one of the most scarcely populated countries in the world
Mongolia is a really huge country, three times as big as France and five as Italy, yet it is one of the most scarcely populated in the world. Less than two people per square kilometer inhabit the land, and most reside in the cities. The rest is dominated by wild nature, punctuated here and there by some sporadic traditional ger. The total population is about three million people. 75% of the population speaks the official language, the Khahla Mongolian, while the rest speaks Mongolian dialects. There are also several ethnic minorities speaking idioms of Turkish origin and these include the important Kazakh minority. Finally, it is estimated that about four million Mongolians live outside Mongolia.
The Mongolians prefer to live in the traditional gers
A considerable part of the Mongolian population lives in gers, traditional tents, despite the spread of urbanization. Traditionally the lifestyle of local people is nomadic and close to nature and animals, so the Mongolians continue to live in these structures made of felt always with the entrance looking south.
Gers are found in the natural parks, in the desert, near great Hovsgol lake but also in the suburbs of the capital and they are moved about four times a year, following the cycle of seasons. Many western travelers coming to Mongolia want to spend, and with good reasons too, one or more nights in a ger with local families (always assisted by local guides, since the inhabitants of the steppe do not speak any English).
Inside the gers, which are very large, one finds handmade decorated wooden furniture, beds and a stove in the middle, mainly used in the cold months.
Here guests can take a close look at the daily life of the nomads, sharing meals (essentially based on meat noodles, vegetables and boiled rice served with tea). Of course, plugs and electricity are not always guaranteed in the gers, so if you need to recharge your electronic devices or mobile phone every day, you need to bring spare batteries.
There is a strong connection with Tibet
In Mongolia Tibetan Buddhism is widespread and this created a deep connection between the Mongolian population and Tibet; in fact, the Mongolians leave on pilgrimage to Lhasa (Tibet) at least once in a lifetime. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that many monasteries and temples have Tibetan names. A small minority of Sunni Muslim origin still resists in the western areas, mainly made up of Kazakh ethnic communities.
Contortion is an art form
Mongolian traditional music is very elaborate and picturesque and implies the use of many different instruments. The khoomi chant, in which male voices produce a peculiar kind of throat singing, is particularly interesting. Music is always accompanied by traditional dances including contortion, an art practice that is deeply rooted in Mongolian traditions.
The Mongolians love tea
The Mongolians drink tea in great quantity, specifically suutei tsai, salted tea with milk. Furtermore, shepherds produce Kumis, a typical drink of Central Asia, produced from mare's milk with a small addition of alcohol.
The sun always shines in Mongolia
The weather is extremely cold, that part is true, but good news is that the sun is shining almost all the time, the sky is blue and rainfall is scarce and concentrated in the summer. Mongolia can in fact boast 250 days of sunshine per year, with a temperature range of up to 80 degrees between summer and winter. If in the desert temperatures can reach even 40 degrees in the summer, in winter nights it goes down to -40.
Nadaam Festival: a must-see celebration
The most heartfelt event in Mongolia is Nadaam Festival, involving the most popular sports of the country: wrestling, archery and horse racing. It takes place in July at Central Stadium in Ulaan Bataar. This tradition has been going on for centuries: once the competition used to be a proof of courage and strenght for its participants, namely nomads or warriors. Nadaam Festival is a curious attraction for a foreigner, but if you plan to travel to Mongolia in this period, you need to book accommodations and services in advance since they sell out quickly.
The months of the calendar have animal names
The Mongolians celebrate New Year according to the lunar calendar and each of the 12 months is referred to with an animal name: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog and pig. The new year is a heartfelt celebration for the population because it marks the coming of spring.
There is a festival celebrating a long - standing eagle hunting tradition
After Nadaam Festival, another important celebration which you might have heard of is Eagle Hunting Festival honouring the eagle hunting tradition which has been going on for centuries on horseback. This event takes place between the end of September and the beginning of October in the Altai mountains among the Kazakh communities, famous for their eagle hunting. This type of hunt is carried out on a horseback, sending a trained eagle to fetch a rabbit or even a fox or wild cat. It's interesting to plan a trip to Mongolia in this period to attend this unique event.
Other important festivals are the Ice Festival and the Yak Festival. The Ice Festival is held near Hovsgol lake in North Mongolia, when in winter the surface of the lake is frozen allowing vehicles to pass. The festival includes several sport activities on the surface of the lake, from skating to sumo and horse- drawn sledge races.
The Yak Festival takes place on July 23 every year in the mountain areas and includes yak races, yak polo and beauty contests with the opportunity to taste yak dairy products.
Tsataan: the last reindeer men
There is an ethnic minority in Mongolia (but also in Lapland and Siberia) that lives even more roughly than the nomads of the steppe living in gers, on the border with Siberia. In Lapland they are called Sami, in Mongolia they are the Tsataan, literally meaning reindeer men, today only 250 left. Often persecuted in the past by Mongolians, who do not consider them as fellow citizens today, these men and women proudly endure the extreme icy weather of the taiga, with no electricty or any other Western comfort.
The Tsataan are of ancient Turkish origin and survive only thanks to reindeer breeding since they use everything of this animal. Milk and meat are in fact their only type of food, reindeer leather is used to make footwear, clothes and tents, while horns can be used as trading units.
The reindeer is held as holy and cannot be killed. In order to survive, the reindeer men need to move up to eleven times a year. In the Tsataan communities the shaman still exists having the function of settling public issues and administering the relationship with the divine. The shaman is considered able to evoke spirits and is thought to possess healing powers.
