Alexandra Nastaeva, Antonina Boskhandjieva, About Tsagan Sar

Two women, Alexandra and Antonina, talk about how Kalmyks, including their families, celebrate Tsagan Sar. Alexandra says that according to Kalmyk tradition, prior to Tsagan Sar people tidy up their houses and dust off their clothes. In her family, they make a soup from dried meat. Alexandra remembers how her grandmother gave children butter. Food that Alexandra ate during Tsagan Sar when she was a child included dried yoghurt dipped in water, shuurmg and traditional biscuits (bortsg). There are many varieties of bortsg, including kit (round shaped biscuits similar to pancakes), khuts (made in the shape of a ram), shovun (made in the shape of a bird), galuna baasn (lit. ‘goose’s excrements’), khorkha (small round balls), zhola (made in the shape of a horse lead), shor or mendin belg (biscuits that symbolize wealth) and many others. During Tsagan Sar when children visit their neighbors and friends’ families, they are given biscuits as present. Traditionally, in the morning people greet each other as follows: Uvlyas mend garvt? (Did you spend the winter well?) In the evening children play various traditional games. All children are supposed to be in their own homes, for there is a belief that it is when Tsagan Aav rides on his horse and blesses people. During Tsagan Sar people are also supposed to feed their dogs and livestock. Especially on the first day of Tsagan Sar people abstain from rebuking their children. Antonina adds that traditionally two days prior to the beginning of Tsagan Sar people kill sheep and offer some of its parts to the gods. The day before Tsagan Sar people make plenty of biscuits (bortsg) and hang them inside their houses. Tsagan Sar lasts for a month and people celebrate it by singing, playing on the traditional musical instrument dombra, feasting, saying to each other well-wishes and visiting relatives. It is also a custom to put walnuts on the altar. The Kalmyks celebrate Tsagan Sar according to the Mongolian calendar. At the end of the video Antonina utters a well-wish.Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin