Saturday, June 1, 2013

Children's Day - A National Holiday


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.

Pony rides

European castle at Children's Park


Amusement park rides - but not for us


The area behind the Chinggis Khan Hotel was set up for Children's Day

 
We say goodbye to Children's Day with our cutest pictures of the day.






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