Musings in Mongolia: Children's Day

View from Parliament of Sukhbaatar Square on Children's Day

June 1, 2013 - Children's Day. We spent most of the day in awe at the national day set aside for honoring children and families. Parents and relatives give gifts to their children and take them out to enjoy a day of family fun and pleasure.

Getting ready to perform

Sukhbaatar Square. First we went to Sukhbaatar Square where people congregated around special displays and programs.

Patriotic song - children holding hands over heart. A little girl in white wandered on to the stage and finally faced the audience with her hand over her heart.

A teen balloon salesman made one great sale

A street vendor putting out her wares

Getting their dart game ready for customers

I know you are in there somewhere

Girl Scouts posing with Bugs Bunny

Summer weather finally

Twins being interviewed on TV

They looked like Swiss Guards

Look! I'm a princess too

Children were dressed in their finest clothes - not traditional deels but suits and fancy dresses. Toy cars were available for children to ride.

I think I'm OK with this - next in line isn't so sure

So this is how you do it.

A Hummer parade. No parade would be complete without a parade of Hummers (there is wealth in Mongolia) with dress up figures to greet children.

Lead Hummer with princess royalty

Here come the Hummers

Stretch Hummer with admiring boys

Queen doll in car window

Another kind of doll with mother

"Hello there" from a beautiful puppeteer

Cast from the Lion King

Mickey Mouse and friends

More puppeteers

A sad princess

This parade is getting long
National Children's Palace. We went to the National Children's Palace where they had an outdoor musical program (we missed all but the last number), an art display and stage performance that had talented children performing music and dance.

Chess competition

Getting ready to draw

Outdoor performers

We enjoy performing for you

Our big bow

A playground area

Looking at the art displays

Darlene finally understood why Mongolian church members and young adults have so many musical talents. Children are taught young and given many opportunities to perform. She compared this to our sports mania in the US.

11 year old boy

Nomad family - 9 year old

Mongolian princess with old script writing - 14 yr. old

Sewing machine - 14 year old girl

Mongolian dogs - 14 year old boy

Watercolor - 17 year old

Day in the Life of Mongolia

This group of teens invited us in to a stage performance

Stage performance. We accidently stumbled into a great show put on by children and teenagers. There were 12 acts and a finale. Not all performers are shown

Boy vocalists

Finale

The Dancing Braids were arms

Traditional horse head cello-like instrument with Mongolian nature scenes projected on the side

Banjo players

Energetic Dancers

The six year old vocalist was dynamite

Dancing with the stars

A ballet in red and pink with a rabbit onlooker

Entrance to the Children's Park

Children's Park. After a little shopping we walked a long way to the Children's Park where we found crowds of people gathering. We gave up and walked home, tired but fully satisfied with our experience with Children's Day.