Fireworks above the Blue Sky |
It is a festive, joyous celebration full of good cheer and conviviality. Cakes are a must on this holiday. The stores are packed as people get ready to celebrate.
The second new year celebration is the lunar new year. In Mongolia it is called Tsaagan Sar or white month. This year it will be celebrated at the end of January.
The main purpose of this holiday is for family and friends to visit each other in their homes with the oldest family members being visited first. Families prepare elaborate meals and gifts for their guests as well as engaging in traditional hospitality rituals.
It may take a week or more to complete all the visits. Besides Nadaam, Tsaagan Sar is the most important holiday of the year. In a month, you will learn a lot more about Tsaagan Sar.
Let the wild rumpas begin. Last year we missed New Year's Eve because of sickness. This year we were up to it.
View from our hotel room about 8:30 pm |
Sisters playing scrabble |
Sisters Wood, Stewart and Nay |
Puje holding up a video of the Macarena on her smart phone while Sisters Farmer and Wood take it in |
Elder Stewart and I went down to the square to take in the atmosphere and get to photographs.
New Year's crowd in front of Sukhbaatar and the New Year's tree |
Chinggis Khan presides over the whole affair from his seat in front of the Parliament building |
The night was the best night in a month - clean air and mild above zero temperatures.
There was an entertainment stage set up for live music, two ice skating rinks and several warming barrels with fire to provide comfort.
Santa made a landing with his sleigh and two of his reindeer.
Celebrating with "Father Winter" |
We did too with our imitation bubbly with an unappetizing name |
Puje and Elder Stewart celebrating the New Year |
The evening ended with a half hour fireworks show directly above our heads - up close and personal.
One of the embers of a spent fireworks landed within a yard of where we were standing.
It was a great display of fireworks.
We were glad to experience this time of year in Mongolia see and participate in their New Year celebration.
State of the art video displayed on a bank building |
Brian and I were at a firework show in Sukhbaatar square for Naadam. I know what you mean about up close and personal. People were dodging flying pieces of burning debris left and right. It was extremely memorable. I am so glad that you were feeling good this year for New Year's and had a great time. There was never such a production like that when we were there. Actually, maybe there was... The younger missionaries kept their same schedule of 10:30 bedtime for New Year's, so we would have been asleep during the celebration. I always love the pictures of the reindeer. Right out of a story book.
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