Traditions and Customs of the Mongolians
The traditions and customs of Mongols have a wide range of common traditional practices and religious rituals.
Greetings: When a visitor spots or comes to a ger, he says "Nokhoi khorioroi" which means literally "catch the dog" that hints he or she is coming. A hostess or a child usually comes out and invites him into a ger. The visitor should not carry a whip, hobble or weapon when he comes in and he hangs down his knife from the belt. By cleaning his throat, the visitor gives a signal of his approaching a few steps away and he does not knock on the door. He crosses the threshold with the right foot. A guest greets inside, not outside. In Mongolia , the younger usually greets first with the old and senior and asks “Ta sain bain? uu’” which means, "How are you’" or "How do you do’" Mongols living in the countryside are not used to shaking hands with visitors, instead they greet by stretching their arms if they see each other for the first time that year.
Ceremonies of the New Year festival-"Tsagaan Sar": For Mongolians, the first holiday to celebrate the new year is Tsagaan Sar. The new year festival according to the lunar calendar is called Tsagaan Sar, meaning "White Moon". This is a big family celebration lasting three days with various ceremonies. Tsagaan Sar customs are centuries old and it is the most widely celebrated holiday. Tsagaan Sar is celebrated on the first day of a spring month when winter ends and spring comes. Tsagaan Sar falls in January or February on the Gregorian calendar depending on the phases of the moon, unless the leap year has been calculated differently. Celebration on the lunar new year’s eve is called “bituun” and this evening every family prepares a big meal and lot of fresh food to have a feast. A big wrestling match is broadcast live throughout the country this evening. People ride their best horses during this holiday, prepare their new clothes in advance, and wear the most elegant ones. Their homes are cleaned up thoroughly on the eve. In the morning of a new year, a housewife offers the first cup of tea to gods in all directions. After the sun rises people start to greet with each other. When greeting them stretch their arms and the young support the elbow of the old. The senior or elder people wish a long and happy life to the young. While exchanging snuff bottles in greeting, people usually talk about how they passed the winter. During the days of the Lunar Calendar Year Holiday, there are various ceremonies: visits to relatives, exchanges of gifts and lots of eating. A guest is welcomed warmly and served with tea and food. In addition to the offerings of food, hosts give a present to visitors and sweets to children. Every year the President gives a speech on the television and offers greetings on Tsagaan Sar. Mongolians signify the first day of a new year very much; therefore, people exercise religious practices called “khiimorio sergeekh” to be inspired and lucky. In Tsagaan Sar, people perform an “Ovoo” ceremony to worship their god and nature.
Naadam: Naadam is the one of the public holidays and ceremonies of Mongolia . Mongols call their National Holiday Naadam or the Three Manly Games. The Three Manly Games are wrestling, archery and horse racing which are the sports of wisdom, courage and strength. There are also other games and performances during these days. Naadam is celebrated on the 11th and 12th of July throughout the country to mark the anniversary of the Mongolian Revolution in 1921. Every year 512 wrestlers compete in the national Naadam and the winner is a wrestler who won the nine rounds.
By the rules of Mongolian wrestling, a wrestler who lost in one round should be dismissed. It is a great honor to wrestle in the national Naadam, so Mongolian wrestlers train hard for it as well as preparing their dresses (called zodog and shuudag). The winner who won in a wrestling is called turuu bukh and uzuur bukh is for the one who won the second place. Nachin or falcon title is given to a wrestler who won in five rounds, Zaan to a winner of seven rounds. Arslan or lion title is bestowed to the winner of the first place in a national wrestling match and a person who has been an Arslan twice is honored with the title of Avarga /Champion/. Another main game is horseracing in which horses of six different ages beginning from six to 8 years old participate in somon, aimag and national horse races. In addition, there is the special horse race of fast amblers. Six horse races are held separately according to the age of the horse. The racehorses are daaga, a two-year-old colt, shudlen, three-year-old horse, and soyolon, a five-year-old horse. The eldest is a six-year-old stallion, called azarga and in stallion races there is no age limit, that is, horses of six years old or more are allowed to take part. Racetracks are varied by ages: 10 km for two-year-old colts, 28 km for stallions and so on. In some races, there are over 700 horses. Children, between 6 and 12 ride racehorses, but mostly they are between 6 and 8 years old. The five horses, which come first in a race, are called "airagdakh". The title Tumnii ekh is given to a horse, which won the first place in a horse race of Naadam. The title of the honored trainer is bestowed to an experienced trainer who distinguishes the special breed for racing and trains a racehorse. Archery is one of the games in Naadam in which many of the best archers from all the corners of the country compete. The winner is given the title Erkhii mergen kharvaach that means the excellent marksman of the country. Nowadays women and children are also engaged in archery.
History
The history of modern Mongolia commenced with the 1921 People’s revolution and the establishment of new Mongol state as a result. Mongolia still annually celebrates July 11 as a national holiday commemorating the victory of the People’s revolution.
The external requirements promoting the victory of the 1921 People’s revolution were directly associated with the policies pursued on the parts of Tsarist Russia and China following the establishment of Bogd Khan in Mongolia . Both its neighbors were carrying out policies aimed at infringing upon the independence of Mongolia and placing the country under their rule. China intensified its efforts, aiming at the invasion of Mongolia . To keep Mongolia under Russian influence, Tsarist Russia undertook such steps as credit granting, training of Mongolian soldiers, equipping them with weapons, founding banks, financial and industrial enterprises, and expanding its trade with Mongolia .
The political situation in Mongolia was further exacerbated by excursions into Mongolian territory by the White Russian units defeated by and driven out of Russia by the Russian red Army. Baron Ungern von Schternberg with his Asian Cavalry Division seized the capital city of Ikh Khuree and returned Bogd Zavzundamba to the throne, declaring the restoration of independence of Mongolia .
Thus, in the 1920s, Mongolia became a battlefield of struggle and contradictions between Chinese and Russian military forces. Because of these, patriotic spirited people, ecclesiastics and military forces formed secret revolutionary circles, which later formed a political organization called the People’s Party, whose purpose was to restore state independence, preserve the state and religion, and liberate the land and the people of Mongolia . They worked out their program and sent a delegation to Moscow to ask for military and loan aids, and to establish relations with the Russian government formed after the victory of the October revolution. Bogd Zavzundamba gave his support and affixed his stamp on the message sent to Moscow .
On February 3, 1921 , Baron Ungern again attacked Ikh Khuree, expelled the Chinese Kuomintang troops and restored Bogd Zavzundamba to the throne. However, Baron Ungern’s reign of terror, plundering, violence and destruction aroused anger and strong opposition.
The constituent congress of the newly formed Mongolian People’s Party held at the beginning of March 1921 in Khiagt in Siberia, near the northern border of Mongolia, discussed and adopted its program for national independence and proceeded to build up armed forces and launch a propagation campaign. On March 13 of the same year, members of the Mongolian People’s Provisional Government.
After Sukhbaatar’s Mongolian Army had won a stunning victory over superior Chinese forces in Khiagt, Red (Soviet) Army units began driving the White Russian troops out of Niislel Khuree and on June 6, 1921 , they captured the city. On July 11, the Bogd Khan’s Government was replaced by a new People’s Government of Mongolia.
On July 11, 1921 , Bogd Khan was elevated to the throne as head of a limited monarchy by the People’s Government of Mongolia.
The victory of the People’s revolution enabled the country to embark on a new course of development, focusing on strengthening the state independence of Mongolia .
During the period from 1921 to 1924, the new government carried out important changes in the political, economic and social spheres of the limited monarchy of Mongolia .
On May 20, 1924 Bogd Zavzundamba Khutagt died. In connection with this, the People’s Government issued a resolution to form Mongolia as a People’s Republic, with supreme power to be vested in the State Ikh Khural (State Great Meeting).
The first State Ikh Khural meeting was held on November 8, 1924 . During this meeting, the first Constitution of the People’s Republic of Mongolia was approved. The first Constitution stated that Mongolia should be renamed the People’s Republic, where all power belonged to the people. The people exercised their power through the State Ikh Khural and through the Government, it elected.
Thus, in the 20th century Mongolia obtained the new name of the People’s Republic of Mongolia and commenced a new stage of its development.
Mongolia , with two thousand years of history, restored its independence at the beginning of the 20th century and made the transition to a new political and social system, making its aim to found a socialist society in a world then divided into socialist and capitalist camps.
The country, which at the end of the 19th century was viewed by Western historians and some scholars as an almost extinct nation, succeeded in achieving considerable progress in promoting its national economy in such areas as animal husbandry, agriculture, industry, etc. by improving the standards of living of its population, and by raising its education and cultural level, evidence of which can be seen in its economic and social parameters. The country’s population increased threefold at the end of the 20th century, reaching 2 million. The population’s annual growth rate increased 3.5 per cent since 1960. Just 80years ago the majority of the population was illiterate, but by 1960 the MPR’s completely adult population was able to read and write due to measures undertaken to eradicate mass illiteracy. For such striking progress, a special prize was granted from the UNESCO. During the 1960s, the objective of ensuring that all school age children received secondary education was successfully realized.
The 20th century witnessed the progress made by Mongolia in fostering the development of its culture, arts, sport and sciences. Mongolian citizen J.Gurragchaa, participated in a space flight together with his Soviet colleagues, and carried out tests and studies, showing that Mongolians intellectual and physical abilities are at the highest level of modern civilization.
Significant changes have taken place in the country’s social system and structure during the 20th century. The 1960s constitution of the MPR underlined that a new social order and structural pattern, including working classes, herdsmen and intelligentsia had been fully established. The new Constitution also denoted that the MPRP was the leading social and political force. The 14th congress of the MPRP held in 1961 emphasized that the Mongolia with a prevailing development of animal husbandry had turned into an agricultural and industrial country.
As well as significant achievements made during the 1960s in the national economy and social sphere, the country also strengthened its prestige and position in the international arena. In 1961, Mongolia became a member of the United Nations, regarded as an official worldwide acknowledgement of the country’s independence and sovereignty. Starting from the 1960s Mongolia extended its foreign relations outside the so-called “socialist block”, establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with 106 countries (up to 1990) in Western Europe , Africa , Asia , and Australia in political, economic and cultural spheres.
The statehood, independence and traditions of the Mongol Empire founded by the great Chinggis Khan eight hundred years ago and interrupted due to the Manchu oppression were restored in 1911 by Bogd Khan and further strengthened by the new Mongolian state formed as a result of the 1921 People’s Revolution. Proclaimed in 1924 as the Mongolian People’s Republic, successfully overcoming subsequent political and military hardships and trials menacing the country’s fate and becoming a fully-fledged member of the result of the Mongolian people fulfilling their historical role in the 20th century.
A totalitarian system of one-party rule and ideological bounds were established in 20th century Mongolia is political, economic, and social spheres just like in any other countries of the socialist block.
Although in the Constitution and other laws of Mongolia , it was stated that the rights and freedom of citizens should be respected, in reality it turned out that the MPRP's leadership had a tendency to prevail over the law and the party itself fell under the influence of its leader, being at the head of both the party and state.
During the socialist era the population of Mongolia increased and the living standards, and educational and cultural level of the people was considerably raised, but human rights were violated and all the rights of people to vote, to be elected to public organizations, and freedom of speech and publication were restrained within the bounds set out according to the ruling party’s political policy, ideology and direction.
Since the 1980s, the process of perestroika and reform launched in the former USSR has made that nation the vanguard of socialist countries. The development of the socialist block’s member countries was apparently hindered. The new leadership of the communist party in the former USSR began carrying out policies of reform, democracy, openness and pluralism, which influenced eastern European countries and Mongolia .
Such changes in the political sphere and external and internal conditions had much impact on Mongolian society. A movement aimed at democratic reform of the social systems of the USSR , eastern European countries became more politicized, and by the end of 1989, the movement for democracy intensified in Mongolia .
The Mongolian democratic movement had intensified in the 90s turning into a more organized and unified movement and gaining the support of Mongolian people.
In the course of launching the movement for democracy, new political forces such as the New Progress Union, the socialist democratic Movement, the Mongolian Green Party, the Mongolian National Progress Party, the Mongolian Free Labor Party and the Mongolian Social Democratic Party formed expanding the scope of the movement. Also in the ranks of the MPRP there appeared fractions consisting of young communists standing for the party renewal and composing policies of reform and restructure.
The movement for democracy had achieved progress step by step in a few short months. The resignation of the leadership of the party, whose role was set out by the Constitution of the MPR since the 1960s and which alone used to decide the direction of the country’s political, social and economic spheres over the past seven decades was the outcome attained by the movement for democracy.
Efforts for strengthening the outcome of the struggle for democracy have been undertaken persistently since the year 1990 in Mongolia . The period of transition from a one-party rule political system to a parliament functioning on a standing basis continued from December of 1990 to July of 1992.
With the purpose of strengthening the democratic system being formed in Mongolia by its due reflection in the Constitution, the Small Khural issued a resolution on October 4, 1990 and set up its working group to draw up the draft of a new Constitution.
The new Constitution set out that the MPR should be renamed Mongolia as it was previously. The new Constitution stated that the State Great Khural of Mongolia is its highest authoritative body and the legislative power is vested with the State Great Khural and the President of Mongolia is the leader of the state securing the consolidation of the Mongolian people.
The president will coordinate and direct the relations between the highest legislative and executive powers. In addition, the session decided to hold the elections of the Great People’s Khural of Mongolia (old name) within June of 1992, to form the State Great Khural (new name) and a new government, as well as the new Constitution of Mongolia to be put in effect from February 12, 1992 .
The first election of the State great Khural, the highest organ of State power of democratic Mongolia , was successfully carried out on June 28, 1992 nationwide.
The historical outcomes of the elections were the establishment of a standing parliament named the State great Khural to be the highest authority of a democratic state, because of the democratic movement launched by the Mongolian people since the 1990s exercising its right to elect and be elected in compliance with the democratic laws.
Culture
Since the political and economic transition of the 1990s, the country has gone through many changes quickly, and there are many more ahead. Its cultural community seeks new and different ways to preserve and sustain arts and culture in Mongolia 's new economy.
The Government directed the Education, Culture and Science Minister to approve a "Master Plan for the Development of Mongolia's Culture and Art" with a view to define policy guidelines for the next ten years. /2003 2013/.
The literacy. Mongolia is the one of the oriental countries with an ancient and unique culture. The Mongolian script created by Mongols is one of the six most recognized alphabets used in the contemporary world. The earliest monument, which scientists call "Chinggis' stone inscription", was created in 1225. It was dedicated to Esunkhui- hero, who managed to shoot all targets from a distance of 500 meters during the archers' competition when Chinggis Khaan celebrated his victory over the Sartuul tribes.
In 1204 by the order of Chinggis Khaan, the Mongolian script had a state status and the 800th anniversary of this event will be celebrated in Mongolia next year.
The Mongols developed their alphabet many centuries ago, but because of their nomadic way of life and continued wars and campaigns, very few ancient literary monuments have actually survived.
All the best works of history, culture, philosophy and literature, written in Mongolian, are kept in Mongolian Central Library with great care. From the 1990s, the renaissance of Mongolian script began by teaching it in all secondary schools. As a result, nearly half of all Mongols now write and read in traditional script. It should be noted that the State Ikh Khural approved the Law on State Official Language.
After the revolution of 1921, the Mongolian script was used in the MPR until 1941, when a new Cyrillic alphabet was adopted. This helped to almost totally eradicate illiteracy by the end of the 1950s. The new Mongolian script has 35 letters.
Books and Book Printing. From the ancient times, Mongols have a reverence for books and considered them as one of the three holy things. Besides, the history shows that nomadic Mongolia itself was respected for being as one of the three highly educated Oriental states. As for books, except for the famous "The secret history of the Mongols" with 760 years of history, no earlier precedent has been found. Historical facts proved that the Mongols 2500 years ago knew not only a script but also the art of producing books. For example, in the State Central library we can see a book written on tree bark from this period.
Readers at the Central library also have the opportunity of acquainting themselves with "Ganjuur" and "Danjuur", extremely rare Tibetan books of the 11th century. They set forth the fundamentals of ancient Indian sciences, philosophy, medicine, art, logic, grammar and astronomy. It proves that books were printed in Mongolia a thousand years ago. "Ganjuur" was printed by the xylographic method in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian. Mongolian translation of Ganjuur (109 volumes) and Danjuur (226 volumes) contains the fundamentals of ancient Indian five sciences.
Another book is the sacred sutra "Sunduin jud", created at the beginning of the 20th century by well-known jeweler Dagva and others. Each of the 111 pages of the book is a thin silver plate, and the letters are engraved and covered with gold. The title page bears a relief representation of Buddhist gods embellished with coral and pearl. Totally, 52 kilograms of gold and 400 kilograms of silver were used for the creation of the sacred sutra. In fact, it is an art of application of "nine precious"-gold, steel, silver, pearl, coral, turquoise, azurite, mother-of-pearl, copper, all ground to powder - in making books.
Since the era of printing books by modern methods, about 9 million books of 800 kinds have been issued per year, which meant 7
The Land
Mongolia is one of the few countries in the temperate belt of the northern hemisphere with its vast territory, perfect ecosystem and virgin land. Mongolia ranked as the seventh largest country in Asia for its territory, which covers an area of 1.564.100 sq. km, larger than the overall combined territory of the United Kingdom , France , Germany and Italy . It is one of the land-locked countries. Mongolia lies in 41° 35’ N. Lat and between 87° 44’ and 119° 56’ E. Long in the north of Central Asia . Mongolia bordered to the north by Russia and to the east, south and west by China . Its total borderline is 8161.8 km long, 3485 km of which is with Russia and 4676.8 km is with China . Within Mongolia , the Mongol Altai Mountains occupy an extensive area of 2392 km from west to north. There is a distance of 1259 km between the Soyon mountain ranges in the Gobi in the south. The nearest body of water to Mongolia is the Yellow Sea , 700 km away in the east.
Geographical Features
Which are few Mongolia possesses a great range of natural ecosystems within its borders in the world. She is at the junction where the flora and fauna of Siberia are the very different species of the deserts and arid steppes of Central Asia . Largely unknown to the rest of the world until recent years, Mongolia’s unique combination of diverse landscapes, unspoiled habitat, and rare wild plant and animal species has become the subject of growing international attention and conversation efforts. From the Gobi to the Central Asian steppe to the coniferous forests of Siberia ’s taiga, Mongolia contains a great array of natural zones and associated flora and fauna. Mongolia divided into six basic natural zones, differing in climate, landscape, soil, flora and fauna.
High mountain zone: Mongolia is a mountainous country. Though the high mountain zone, which includes the higher elevations of these ranges, makes up only about 5% of Mongolia ’s territory, the country’s average elevation is quite high, at 1580 meters above sea level. In the far western Altai, Khuiten Peak in the Tavan Bogd mountains reaches 4374 meters, the highest point in the country. Many of Mongolia ’s mountain areas show signs of previous Ice Ages, with U-shaped valleys and boulders left behind by retreating glaciers. The climate in the high mountain zone is extremely cold and there is a short growing season. The zone located above tree line characterized by tundra, alpine-sedge meadows, highland swamps and lichen-covered boulder fields.
Taiga (forest) zone: Mongolia ’s taiga zone includes the southern edge of Siberia ’s vast taiga forest, the largest continuous forest system on earth. This zone occurs only in northern Mongolia , where it found in the Khentii Mountains , in the mountainous terrain near Lake Khuvsgul , on the north and east sides of the Khangai Mountains and some parts of the Khan Khukhii range. The taiga zone, which covers about 5% of Mongolia, experiences more precipitation (300-to 400 mm annually) and lower temperatures than most of Mongolia, with cold, snowy winters and cool, rainy summers. In Mongolia , although affected by some mining and timber developments, the taiga remains largely undisturbed.
Mountain Forest Steppe zone: In the mountain-forest steppe zone, the species of Siberia ’s taiga meet those of the Central Asian steppe. The mountain steppe zone occurs in the lower elevations of the Khentii, the Khangai, the Mongolian Altai mountains, in the Orkhon and Selenge river basins, and in the Khyangan mountains. Mixed coniferous forest found on cooler, moister northern slopes, while steppe vegetation predominates on other slopes. The mountain, forest, steppe zones covers about 25% of Mongolia , and is one of the most heavily populated areas in Mongolia . Its pastures, wood, and water make it an important area for herder’s and their livestock.
Steppe zone: Steppe covers nearly the entire far eastern part of Mongolia, extending west in a narrowing band just south of the Khangai and Khan Khukhii mountains all the way to the Depression of the Great Lakes. Mongolia ’s steppe lies in the eastern part of the vast plain that begins in Eastern Europe and reaches to the steppes of Manchuria . The steppe zone includes a distinctive group of flora and fauna. In the central and western areas of the country, the steppe provides many of the nation’s most important grazing lands for domestic livestock. The steppe is vulnerable to impacts from overgrazing, agriculture, roads and other human activities.
Desert Steppe zone: Desert steppe occupies a large band, more than 20% of Mongolia ’s area, extending across the country between the steppe and desert zones. This zone includes the Depression of the Great Lakes , the Valley of the lakes, and most of the area between the Khangai and Altai mountain ranges, as well as the eastern Gobi area. The zone includes many low-lying areas, soils with saltpans, and small ponds. The climate is arid with frequent droughts and annual precipitation of 100-125 mm, and frequent strong winds and dust storms strongly influence the areas vegetation. Still, many of Mongolia ’s nomadic herders occupy this zone.
Desert zone: The Gobi is one of the world’s great deserts, occupying much of southern Mongolia and northeastern China and composing the northern part of Central Asia ’s deserts. Starkly beautiful, the expanses of the fabled Gobi are rugged and inhospitable. Vegetation is sparse here, and the zone displays a remarkable variety, from rocky mountain massifs to the flat pavement-like areas of the super-arid desert, from poplar-fringed oases to vast outwash plains and areas of sand dunes. These areas provide habitat for many of Mongolia ’s threatened species, including the wild camel, Gobi bear, and wild ass. Climate is extreme. Precipitation may fall only once every two to three years, and averages less than 100 mm annually. Temperatures climb as high as 40° C in summer, and fall as low as -40°C in winter. During the spring and fall, dangerously strong winds buffet the area with dust storms and wind speeds up to 140 km/hour.
Highest mountains
* Nairamdal peak /Tavan Bogd mountain/ 4374 m
* Sukhbaatar peak/Munkhkhairkhan mountain/ 4208 m
* Tsast mountain/Altai mountain range/ 4204 m
* Tsast Bogd mountain/Sutai mountain range/ 4090 m
* Khatuu mountain /Siilkhem mountain range/ 4029 m
* Khukh serkh/Deluun mountain range/ 4019 m
The largest lakes
* Uvs 3350 sq. km
* Khuvsgul 2620 sq. km
* Khar Us 1852 sq. km
* Khyargas 1407 sq. km
* Buir 615 sq. km
The longest rivers
* Orkhon 1124 km
* Kherlen 1090 km
* Selenge 819 km
* Tuul 808 km
* Zavkhan 568 km
Climate
Mongolia has a sharply continental climate, with long, cold, dry winters and brief, mild, and relatively wet summers. When Arctic air masses dominate in mid-winter, temperatures average -20°C to -35°C. In the Uvs Lake basin in northwestern Mongolia , known as one of the coldest places in all of Asia , the lowest temperature ever recorded is -58°C. By contrast, summer time temperatures in the Gobi desert climb as high as 40°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 600 mm in the Khentii, Altai, and Khuvsgul mountains to less than 100 mm in the Gobi . In some parts of the Gobi , no precipitation may fall for several years in a row. Mongolia has the 4 seasons of the year. There are summer, autumn, winter and spring.
Temperature/the highest-the lowest/
UB/central part/northern part/eastern part/western part/Gobi
January F° 90-57/50-72/63-86/59-81/64-86/52-67
C° -32 to-15/-10 to-22/-17 to-30/-15 to-27/-18 to-30/-11 to-24
August F° 46-72/46-68/46-72/52-75/48-73/48-73
C° 8-22/8-20/8-22/11-24/9-23/9-23
Rainfall (average)
UB/central part/northern part/eastern part/western part/Gobi
Sunny days 116/119/117/125/120/155 in a year
Mean inches 9/11/11/9/15/5
Annual rainfall mm 231/289/272/236/381/131
Spring
Spring comes after a severe winter, days become longer, and nights shorter. It is the time for snow to melt and for animals to come out from hibernation. All animals and livestock breed while the soil thaws in the warm spring weather. In Mongolia "Khansh neekh" means some animals, which hibernated, awoke from their sleep. It is very different to the Chinese one. Spring is the prosperous season of the year when everybody is calm and relaxed; grass turns green, anemones grow up and nature covered with its green dress. Beginning in March spring usually lasts about 60 days although it can be as long as 70 days or as short as 45 days in some areas of the country. For people and livestock, it is also a harsh season of the driest and the most windy days although it gets warm in spring; livestock breed and gain their weight; and grass becomes green.
Summer
Summer is the warmest season in Mongolia . Generally, precipitation is higher in summer than any time of the year. Rivers and streams are at their fullest in summer. It is the time when pasture, grass and crops grow and livestock gain weight and fat. It is the most pleasant time with abundant dairy products and there are many feasts and holidays of happy people. In Mongolia , summer lasts about 110 days from the end of May until September. July is the warmest month of summer, it is 15°, and 20° C in mountainous areas of Khangai region, 20° and 25° C in the steppes and the highest temperature is between 32° and 35° C in Khangai and 40° and 41° C in Gobi . Sometimes it reaches 50° C in Gobi .
Autumn
Autumn in Mongolia is the transition period from summer to winter and it has its own features and signs. There is less rainfall in autumn. Gradually it gets cooler and vegetables and grains harvested at this time. Pasture and forests become yellow. Flies die and livestock is fat and woolly in preparation for the winter. Autumn is an important season in Mongolia in order to prepare for winter; harvesting the crops, vegetables and fodder; getting ready their cattle barns and sheds; preparing firewood and warming up their homes and so on. Autumn lasts about 60 days from the beginning of September until the early November. In some years, there are many long and sunny days in autumn.
Winter
In Mongolia , winter is the most severe, the coldest and longest season. All rivers, lakes, streams and ponds freeze in winter. It snows throughout the country, but not heavily. After making all the necessary preparations for a long winter, herdsmen stay at their winter camps. Winter starts early in November and lasts about 110 days until March. Sometimes it snows in September and November, but the heavy snow usually occurs at the beginning of November. January is the coldest winter month in Mongolia and the mean temperature is -35°C in Khangai mountain regions, -15°C in Gobi and -20°C and -25°C in the other parts of the country. However, -10°C in Europe means -20°C in Mongolia .
The traditions and customs of Mongols have a wide range of common traditional practices and religious rituals.
Greetings: When a visitor spots or comes to a ger, he says "Nokhoi khorioroi" which means literally "catch the dog" that hints he or she is coming. A hostess or a child usually comes out and invites him into a ger. The visitor should not carry a whip, hobble or weapon when he comes in and he hangs down his knife from the belt. By cleaning his throat, the visitor gives a signal of his approaching a few steps away and he does not knock on the door. He crosses the threshold with the right foot. A guest greets inside, not outside. In Mongolia , the younger usually greets first with the old and senior and asks “Ta sain bain? uu’” which means, "How are you’" or "How do you do’" Mongols living in the countryside are not used to shaking hands with visitors, instead they greet by stretching their arms if they see each other for the first time that year.
Ceremonies of the New Year festival-"Tsagaan Sar": For Mongolians, the first holiday to celebrate the new year is Tsagaan Sar. The new year festival according to the lunar calendar is called Tsagaan Sar, meaning "White Moon". This is a big family celebration lasting three days with various ceremonies. Tsagaan Sar customs are centuries old and it is the most widely celebrated holiday. Tsagaan Sar is celebrated on the first day of a spring month when winter ends and spring comes. Tsagaan Sar falls in January or February on the Gregorian calendar depending on the phases of the moon, unless the leap year has been calculated differently. Celebration on the lunar new year’s eve is called “bituun” and this evening every family prepares a big meal and lot of fresh food to have a feast. A big wrestling match is broadcast live throughout the country this evening. People ride their best horses during this holiday, prepare their new clothes in advance, and wear the most elegant ones. Their homes are cleaned up thoroughly on the eve. In the morning of a new year, a housewife offers the first cup of tea to gods in all directions. After the sun rises people start to greet with each other. When greeting them stretch their arms and the young support the elbow of the old. The senior or elder people wish a long and happy life to the young. While exchanging snuff bottles in greeting, people usually talk about how they passed the winter. During the days of the Lunar Calendar Year Holiday, there are various ceremonies: visits to relatives, exchanges of gifts and lots of eating. A guest is welcomed warmly and served with tea and food. In addition to the offerings of food, hosts give a present to visitors and sweets to children. Every year the President gives a speech on the television and offers greetings on Tsagaan Sar. Mongolians signify the first day of a new year very much; therefore, people exercise religious practices called “khiimorio sergeekh” to be inspired and lucky. In Tsagaan Sar, people perform an “Ovoo” ceremony to worship their god and nature.
Naadam: Naadam is the one of the public holidays and ceremonies of Mongolia . Mongols call their National Holiday Naadam or the Three Manly Games. The Three Manly Games are wrestling, archery and horse racing which are the sports of wisdom, courage and strength. There are also other games and performances during these days. Naadam is celebrated on the 11th and 12th of July throughout the country to mark the anniversary of the Mongolian Revolution in 1921. Every year 512 wrestlers compete in the national Naadam and the winner is a wrestler who won the nine rounds.
By the rules of Mongolian wrestling, a wrestler who lost in one round should be dismissed. It is a great honor to wrestle in the national Naadam, so Mongolian wrestlers train hard for it as well as preparing their dresses (called zodog and shuudag). The winner who won in a wrestling is called turuu bukh and uzuur bukh is for the one who won the second place. Nachin or falcon title is given to a wrestler who won in five rounds, Zaan to a winner of seven rounds. Arslan or lion title is bestowed to the winner of the first place in a national wrestling match and a person who has been an Arslan twice is honored with the title of Avarga /Champion/. Another main game is horseracing in which horses of six different ages beginning from six to 8 years old participate in somon, aimag and national horse races. In addition, there is the special horse race of fast amblers. Six horse races are held separately according to the age of the horse. The racehorses are daaga, a two-year-old colt, shudlen, three-year-old horse, and soyolon, a five-year-old horse. The eldest is a six-year-old stallion, called azarga and in stallion races there is no age limit, that is, horses of six years old or more are allowed to take part. Racetracks are varied by ages: 10 km for two-year-old colts, 28 km for stallions and so on. In some races, there are over 700 horses. Children, between 6 and 12 ride racehorses, but mostly they are between 6 and 8 years old. The five horses, which come first in a race, are called "airagdakh". The title Tumnii ekh is given to a horse, which won the first place in a horse race of Naadam. The title of the honored trainer is bestowed to an experienced trainer who distinguishes the special breed for racing and trains a racehorse. Archery is one of the games in Naadam in which many of the best archers from all the corners of the country compete. The winner is given the title Erkhii mergen kharvaach that means the excellent marksman of the country. Nowadays women and children are also engaged in archery.
History
The history of modern Mongolia commenced with the 1921 People’s revolution and the establishment of new Mongol state as a result. Mongolia still annually celebrates July 11 as a national holiday commemorating the victory of the People’s revolution.
The external requirements promoting the victory of the 1921 People’s revolution were directly associated with the policies pursued on the parts of Tsarist Russia and China following the establishment of Bogd Khan in Mongolia . Both its neighbors were carrying out policies aimed at infringing upon the independence of Mongolia and placing the country under their rule. China intensified its efforts, aiming at the invasion of Mongolia . To keep Mongolia under Russian influence, Tsarist Russia undertook such steps as credit granting, training of Mongolian soldiers, equipping them with weapons, founding banks, financial and industrial enterprises, and expanding its trade with Mongolia .
The political situation in Mongolia was further exacerbated by excursions into Mongolian territory by the White Russian units defeated by and driven out of Russia by the Russian red Army. Baron Ungern von Schternberg with his Asian Cavalry Division seized the capital city of Ikh Khuree and returned Bogd Zavzundamba to the throne, declaring the restoration of independence of Mongolia .
Thus, in the 1920s, Mongolia became a battlefield of struggle and contradictions between Chinese and Russian military forces. Because of these, patriotic spirited people, ecclesiastics and military forces formed secret revolutionary circles, which later formed a political organization called the People’s Party, whose purpose was to restore state independence, preserve the state and religion, and liberate the land and the people of Mongolia . They worked out their program and sent a delegation to Moscow to ask for military and loan aids, and to establish relations with the Russian government formed after the victory of the October revolution. Bogd Zavzundamba gave his support and affixed his stamp on the message sent to Moscow .
On February 3, 1921 , Baron Ungern again attacked Ikh Khuree, expelled the Chinese Kuomintang troops and restored Bogd Zavzundamba to the throne. However, Baron Ungern’s reign of terror, plundering, violence and destruction aroused anger and strong opposition.
The constituent congress of the newly formed Mongolian People’s Party held at the beginning of March 1921 in Khiagt in Siberia, near the northern border of Mongolia, discussed and adopted its program for national independence and proceeded to build up armed forces and launch a propagation campaign. On March 13 of the same year, members of the Mongolian People’s Provisional Government.
After Sukhbaatar’s Mongolian Army had won a stunning victory over superior Chinese forces in Khiagt, Red (Soviet) Army units began driving the White Russian troops out of Niislel Khuree and on June 6, 1921 , they captured the city. On July 11, the Bogd Khan’s Government was replaced by a new People’s Government of Mongolia.
On July 11, 1921 , Bogd Khan was elevated to the throne as head of a limited monarchy by the People’s Government of Mongolia.
The victory of the People’s revolution enabled the country to embark on a new course of development, focusing on strengthening the state independence of Mongolia .
During the period from 1921 to 1924, the new government carried out important changes in the political, economic and social spheres of the limited monarchy of Mongolia .
On May 20, 1924 Bogd Zavzundamba Khutagt died. In connection with this, the People’s Government issued a resolution to form Mongolia as a People’s Republic, with supreme power to be vested in the State Ikh Khural (State Great Meeting).
The first State Ikh Khural meeting was held on November 8, 1924 . During this meeting, the first Constitution of the People’s Republic of Mongolia was approved. The first Constitution stated that Mongolia should be renamed the People’s Republic, where all power belonged to the people. The people exercised their power through the State Ikh Khural and through the Government, it elected.
Thus, in the 20th century Mongolia obtained the new name of the People’s Republic of Mongolia and commenced a new stage of its development.
Mongolia , with two thousand years of history, restored its independence at the beginning of the 20th century and made the transition to a new political and social system, making its aim to found a socialist society in a world then divided into socialist and capitalist camps.
The country, which at the end of the 19th century was viewed by Western historians and some scholars as an almost extinct nation, succeeded in achieving considerable progress in promoting its national economy in such areas as animal husbandry, agriculture, industry, etc. by improving the standards of living of its population, and by raising its education and cultural level, evidence of which can be seen in its economic and social parameters. The country’s population increased threefold at the end of the 20th century, reaching 2 million. The population’s annual growth rate increased 3.5 per cent since 1960. Just 80years ago the majority of the population was illiterate, but by 1960 the MPR’s completely adult population was able to read and write due to measures undertaken to eradicate mass illiteracy. For such striking progress, a special prize was granted from the UNESCO. During the 1960s, the objective of ensuring that all school age children received secondary education was successfully realized.
The 20th century witnessed the progress made by Mongolia in fostering the development of its culture, arts, sport and sciences. Mongolian citizen J.Gurragchaa, participated in a space flight together with his Soviet colleagues, and carried out tests and studies, showing that Mongolians intellectual and physical abilities are at the highest level of modern civilization.
Significant changes have taken place in the country’s social system and structure during the 20th century. The 1960s constitution of the MPR underlined that a new social order and structural pattern, including working classes, herdsmen and intelligentsia had been fully established. The new Constitution also denoted that the MPRP was the leading social and political force. The 14th congress of the MPRP held in 1961 emphasized that the Mongolia with a prevailing development of animal husbandry had turned into an agricultural and industrial country.
As well as significant achievements made during the 1960s in the national economy and social sphere, the country also strengthened its prestige and position in the international arena. In 1961, Mongolia became a member of the United Nations, regarded as an official worldwide acknowledgement of the country’s independence and sovereignty. Starting from the 1960s Mongolia extended its foreign relations outside the so-called “socialist block”, establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with 106 countries (up to 1990) in Western Europe , Africa , Asia , and Australia in political, economic and cultural spheres.
The statehood, independence and traditions of the Mongol Empire founded by the great Chinggis Khan eight hundred years ago and interrupted due to the Manchu oppression were restored in 1911 by Bogd Khan and further strengthened by the new Mongolian state formed as a result of the 1921 People’s Revolution. Proclaimed in 1924 as the Mongolian People’s Republic, successfully overcoming subsequent political and military hardships and trials menacing the country’s fate and becoming a fully-fledged member of the result of the Mongolian people fulfilling their historical role in the 20th century.
A totalitarian system of one-party rule and ideological bounds were established in 20th century Mongolia is political, economic, and social spheres just like in any other countries of the socialist block.
Although in the Constitution and other laws of Mongolia , it was stated that the rights and freedom of citizens should be respected, in reality it turned out that the MPRP's leadership had a tendency to prevail over the law and the party itself fell under the influence of its leader, being at the head of both the party and state.
During the socialist era the population of Mongolia increased and the living standards, and educational and cultural level of the people was considerably raised, but human rights were violated and all the rights of people to vote, to be elected to public organizations, and freedom of speech and publication were restrained within the bounds set out according to the ruling party’s political policy, ideology and direction.
Since the 1980s, the process of perestroika and reform launched in the former USSR has made that nation the vanguard of socialist countries. The development of the socialist block’s member countries was apparently hindered. The new leadership of the communist party in the former USSR began carrying out policies of reform, democracy, openness and pluralism, which influenced eastern European countries and Mongolia .
Such changes in the political sphere and external and internal conditions had much impact on Mongolian society. A movement aimed at democratic reform of the social systems of the USSR , eastern European countries became more politicized, and by the end of 1989, the movement for democracy intensified in Mongolia .
The Mongolian democratic movement had intensified in the 90s turning into a more organized and unified movement and gaining the support of Mongolian people.
In the course of launching the movement for democracy, new political forces such as the New Progress Union, the socialist democratic Movement, the Mongolian Green Party, the Mongolian National Progress Party, the Mongolian Free Labor Party and the Mongolian Social Democratic Party formed expanding the scope of the movement. Also in the ranks of the MPRP there appeared fractions consisting of young communists standing for the party renewal and composing policies of reform and restructure.
The movement for democracy had achieved progress step by step in a few short months. The resignation of the leadership of the party, whose role was set out by the Constitution of the MPR since the 1960s and which alone used to decide the direction of the country’s political, social and economic spheres over the past seven decades was the outcome attained by the movement for democracy.
Efforts for strengthening the outcome of the struggle for democracy have been undertaken persistently since the year 1990 in Mongolia . The period of transition from a one-party rule political system to a parliament functioning on a standing basis continued from December of 1990 to July of 1992.
With the purpose of strengthening the democratic system being formed in Mongolia by its due reflection in the Constitution, the Small Khural issued a resolution on October 4, 1990 and set up its working group to draw up the draft of a new Constitution.
The new Constitution set out that the MPR should be renamed Mongolia as it was previously. The new Constitution stated that the State Great Khural of Mongolia is its highest authoritative body and the legislative power is vested with the State Great Khural and the President of Mongolia is the leader of the state securing the consolidation of the Mongolian people.
The president will coordinate and direct the relations between the highest legislative and executive powers. In addition, the session decided to hold the elections of the Great People’s Khural of Mongolia (old name) within June of 1992, to form the State Great Khural (new name) and a new government, as well as the new Constitution of Mongolia to be put in effect from February 12, 1992 .
The first election of the State great Khural, the highest organ of State power of democratic Mongolia , was successfully carried out on June 28, 1992 nationwide.
The historical outcomes of the elections were the establishment of a standing parliament named the State great Khural to be the highest authority of a democratic state, because of the democratic movement launched by the Mongolian people since the 1990s exercising its right to elect and be elected in compliance with the democratic laws.
Culture
Since the political and economic transition of the 1990s, the country has gone through many changes quickly, and there are many more ahead. Its cultural community seeks new and different ways to preserve and sustain arts and culture in Mongolia 's new economy.
The Government directed the Education, Culture and Science Minister to approve a "Master Plan for the Development of Mongolia's Culture and Art" with a view to define policy guidelines for the next ten years. /2003 2013/.
The literacy. Mongolia is the one of the oriental countries with an ancient and unique culture. The Mongolian script created by Mongols is one of the six most recognized alphabets used in the contemporary world. The earliest monument, which scientists call "Chinggis' stone inscription", was created in 1225. It was dedicated to Esunkhui- hero, who managed to shoot all targets from a distance of 500 meters during the archers' competition when Chinggis Khaan celebrated his victory over the Sartuul tribes.
In 1204 by the order of Chinggis Khaan, the Mongolian script had a state status and the 800th anniversary of this event will be celebrated in Mongolia next year.
The Mongols developed their alphabet many centuries ago, but because of their nomadic way of life and continued wars and campaigns, very few ancient literary monuments have actually survived.
All the best works of history, culture, philosophy and literature, written in Mongolian, are kept in Mongolian Central Library with great care. From the 1990s, the renaissance of Mongolian script began by teaching it in all secondary schools. As a result, nearly half of all Mongols now write and read in traditional script. It should be noted that the State Ikh Khural approved the Law on State Official Language.
After the revolution of 1921, the Mongolian script was used in the MPR until 1941, when a new Cyrillic alphabet was adopted. This helped to almost totally eradicate illiteracy by the end of the 1950s. The new Mongolian script has 35 letters.
Books and Book Printing. From the ancient times, Mongols have a reverence for books and considered them as one of the three holy things. Besides, the history shows that nomadic Mongolia itself was respected for being as one of the three highly educated Oriental states. As for books, except for the famous "The secret history of the Mongols" with 760 years of history, no earlier precedent has been found. Historical facts proved that the Mongols 2500 years ago knew not only a script but also the art of producing books. For example, in the State Central library we can see a book written on tree bark from this period.
Readers at the Central library also have the opportunity of acquainting themselves with "Ganjuur" and "Danjuur", extremely rare Tibetan books of the 11th century. They set forth the fundamentals of ancient Indian sciences, philosophy, medicine, art, logic, grammar and astronomy. It proves that books were printed in Mongolia a thousand years ago. "Ganjuur" was printed by the xylographic method in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian. Mongolian translation of Ganjuur (109 volumes) and Danjuur (226 volumes) contains the fundamentals of ancient Indian five sciences.
Another book is the sacred sutra "Sunduin jud", created at the beginning of the 20th century by well-known jeweler Dagva and others. Each of the 111 pages of the book is a thin silver plate, and the letters are engraved and covered with gold. The title page bears a relief representation of Buddhist gods embellished with coral and pearl. Totally, 52 kilograms of gold and 400 kilograms of silver were used for the creation of the sacred sutra. In fact, it is an art of application of "nine precious"-gold, steel, silver, pearl, coral, turquoise, azurite, mother-of-pearl, copper, all ground to powder - in making books.
Since the era of printing books by modern methods, about 9 million books of 800 kinds have been issued per year, which meant 7
The Land
Mongolia is one of the few countries in the temperate belt of the northern hemisphere with its vast territory, perfect ecosystem and virgin land. Mongolia ranked as the seventh largest country in Asia for its territory, which covers an area of 1.564.100 sq. km, larger than the overall combined territory of the United Kingdom , France , Germany and Italy . It is one of the land-locked countries. Mongolia lies in 41° 35’ N. Lat and between 87° 44’ and 119° 56’ E. Long in the north of Central Asia . Mongolia bordered to the north by Russia and to the east, south and west by China . Its total borderline is 8161.8 km long, 3485 km of which is with Russia and 4676.8 km is with China . Within Mongolia , the Mongol Altai Mountains occupy an extensive area of 2392 km from west to north. There is a distance of 1259 km between the Soyon mountain ranges in the Gobi in the south. The nearest body of water to Mongolia is the Yellow Sea , 700 km away in the east.
Geographical Features
Which are few Mongolia possesses a great range of natural ecosystems within its borders in the world. She is at the junction where the flora and fauna of Siberia are the very different species of the deserts and arid steppes of Central Asia . Largely unknown to the rest of the world until recent years, Mongolia’s unique combination of diverse landscapes, unspoiled habitat, and rare wild plant and animal species has become the subject of growing international attention and conversation efforts. From the Gobi to the Central Asian steppe to the coniferous forests of Siberia ’s taiga, Mongolia contains a great array of natural zones and associated flora and fauna. Mongolia divided into six basic natural zones, differing in climate, landscape, soil, flora and fauna.
High mountain zone: Mongolia is a mountainous country. Though the high mountain zone, which includes the higher elevations of these ranges, makes up only about 5% of Mongolia ’s territory, the country’s average elevation is quite high, at 1580 meters above sea level. In the far western Altai, Khuiten Peak in the Tavan Bogd mountains reaches 4374 meters, the highest point in the country. Many of Mongolia ’s mountain areas show signs of previous Ice Ages, with U-shaped valleys and boulders left behind by retreating glaciers. The climate in the high mountain zone is extremely cold and there is a short growing season. The zone located above tree line characterized by tundra, alpine-sedge meadows, highland swamps and lichen-covered boulder fields.
Taiga (forest) zone: Mongolia ’s taiga zone includes the southern edge of Siberia ’s vast taiga forest, the largest continuous forest system on earth. This zone occurs only in northern Mongolia , where it found in the Khentii Mountains , in the mountainous terrain near Lake Khuvsgul , on the north and east sides of the Khangai Mountains and some parts of the Khan Khukhii range. The taiga zone, which covers about 5% of Mongolia, experiences more precipitation (300-to 400 mm annually) and lower temperatures than most of Mongolia, with cold, snowy winters and cool, rainy summers. In Mongolia , although affected by some mining and timber developments, the taiga remains largely undisturbed.
Mountain Forest Steppe zone: In the mountain-forest steppe zone, the species of Siberia ’s taiga meet those of the Central Asian steppe. The mountain steppe zone occurs in the lower elevations of the Khentii, the Khangai, the Mongolian Altai mountains, in the Orkhon and Selenge river basins, and in the Khyangan mountains. Mixed coniferous forest found on cooler, moister northern slopes, while steppe vegetation predominates on other slopes. The mountain, forest, steppe zones covers about 25% of Mongolia , and is one of the most heavily populated areas in Mongolia . Its pastures, wood, and water make it an important area for herder’s and their livestock.
Steppe zone: Steppe covers nearly the entire far eastern part of Mongolia, extending west in a narrowing band just south of the Khangai and Khan Khukhii mountains all the way to the Depression of the Great Lakes. Mongolia ’s steppe lies in the eastern part of the vast plain that begins in Eastern Europe and reaches to the steppes of Manchuria . The steppe zone includes a distinctive group of flora and fauna. In the central and western areas of the country, the steppe provides many of the nation’s most important grazing lands for domestic livestock. The steppe is vulnerable to impacts from overgrazing, agriculture, roads and other human activities.
Desert Steppe zone: Desert steppe occupies a large band, more than 20% of Mongolia ’s area, extending across the country between the steppe and desert zones. This zone includes the Depression of the Great Lakes , the Valley of the lakes, and most of the area between the Khangai and Altai mountain ranges, as well as the eastern Gobi area. The zone includes many low-lying areas, soils with saltpans, and small ponds. The climate is arid with frequent droughts and annual precipitation of 100-125 mm, and frequent strong winds and dust storms strongly influence the areas vegetation. Still, many of Mongolia ’s nomadic herders occupy this zone.
Desert zone: The Gobi is one of the world’s great deserts, occupying much of southern Mongolia and northeastern China and composing the northern part of Central Asia ’s deserts. Starkly beautiful, the expanses of the fabled Gobi are rugged and inhospitable. Vegetation is sparse here, and the zone displays a remarkable variety, from rocky mountain massifs to the flat pavement-like areas of the super-arid desert, from poplar-fringed oases to vast outwash plains and areas of sand dunes. These areas provide habitat for many of Mongolia ’s threatened species, including the wild camel, Gobi bear, and wild ass. Climate is extreme. Precipitation may fall only once every two to three years, and averages less than 100 mm annually. Temperatures climb as high as 40° C in summer, and fall as low as -40°C in winter. During the spring and fall, dangerously strong winds buffet the area with dust storms and wind speeds up to 140 km/hour.
Highest mountains
* Nairamdal peak /Tavan Bogd mountain/ 4374 m
* Sukhbaatar peak/Munkhkhairkhan mountain/ 4208 m
* Tsast mountain/Altai mountain range/ 4204 m
* Tsast Bogd mountain/Sutai mountain range/ 4090 m
* Khatuu mountain /Siilkhem mountain range/ 4029 m
* Khukh serkh/Deluun mountain range/ 4019 m
The largest lakes
* Uvs 3350 sq. km
* Khuvsgul 2620 sq. km
* Khar Us 1852 sq. km
* Khyargas 1407 sq. km
* Buir 615 sq. km
The longest rivers
* Orkhon 1124 km
* Kherlen 1090 km
* Selenge 819 km
* Tuul 808 km
* Zavkhan 568 km
Climate
Mongolia has a sharply continental climate, with long, cold, dry winters and brief, mild, and relatively wet summers. When Arctic air masses dominate in mid-winter, temperatures average -20°C to -35°C. In the Uvs Lake basin in northwestern Mongolia , known as one of the coldest places in all of Asia , the lowest temperature ever recorded is -58°C. By contrast, summer time temperatures in the Gobi desert climb as high as 40°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 600 mm in the Khentii, Altai, and Khuvsgul mountains to less than 100 mm in the Gobi . In some parts of the Gobi , no precipitation may fall for several years in a row. Mongolia has the 4 seasons of the year. There are summer, autumn, winter and spring.
Temperature/the highest-the lowest/
UB/central part/northern part/eastern part/western part/Gobi
January F° 90-57/50-72/63-86/59-81/64-86/52-67
C° -32 to-15/-10 to-22/-17 to-30/-15 to-27/-18 to-30/-11 to-24
August F° 46-72/46-68/46-72/52-75/48-73/48-73
C° 8-22/8-20/8-22/11-24/9-23/9-23
Rainfall (average)
UB/central part/northern part/eastern part/western part/Gobi
Sunny days 116/119/117/125/120/155 in a year
Mean inches 9/11/11/9/15/5
Annual rainfall mm 231/289/272/236/381/131
Spring
Spring comes after a severe winter, days become longer, and nights shorter. It is the time for snow to melt and for animals to come out from hibernation. All animals and livestock breed while the soil thaws in the warm spring weather. In Mongolia "Khansh neekh" means some animals, which hibernated, awoke from their sleep. It is very different to the Chinese one. Spring is the prosperous season of the year when everybody is calm and relaxed; grass turns green, anemones grow up and nature covered with its green dress. Beginning in March spring usually lasts about 60 days although it can be as long as 70 days or as short as 45 days in some areas of the country. For people and livestock, it is also a harsh season of the driest and the most windy days although it gets warm in spring; livestock breed and gain their weight; and grass becomes green.
Summer
Summer is the warmest season in Mongolia . Generally, precipitation is higher in summer than any time of the year. Rivers and streams are at their fullest in summer. It is the time when pasture, grass and crops grow and livestock gain weight and fat. It is the most pleasant time with abundant dairy products and there are many feasts and holidays of happy people. In Mongolia , summer lasts about 110 days from the end of May until September. July is the warmest month of summer, it is 15°, and 20° C in mountainous areas of Khangai region, 20° and 25° C in the steppes and the highest temperature is between 32° and 35° C in Khangai and 40° and 41° C in Gobi . Sometimes it reaches 50° C in Gobi .
Autumn
Autumn in Mongolia is the transition period from summer to winter and it has its own features and signs. There is less rainfall in autumn. Gradually it gets cooler and vegetables and grains harvested at this time. Pasture and forests become yellow. Flies die and livestock is fat and woolly in preparation for the winter. Autumn is an important season in Mongolia in order to prepare for winter; harvesting the crops, vegetables and fodder; getting ready their cattle barns and sheds; preparing firewood and warming up their homes and so on. Autumn lasts about 60 days from the beginning of September until the early November. In some years, there are many long and sunny days in autumn.
Winter
In Mongolia , winter is the most severe, the coldest and longest season. All rivers, lakes, streams and ponds freeze in winter. It snows throughout the country, but not heavily. After making all the necessary preparations for a long winter, herdsmen stay at their winter camps. Winter starts early in November and lasts about 110 days until March. Sometimes it snows in September and November, but the heavy snow usually occurs at the beginning of November. January is the coldest winter month in Mongolia and the mean temperature is -35°C in Khangai mountain regions, -15°C in Gobi and -20°C and -25°C in the other parts of the country. However, -10°C in Europe means -20°C in Mongolia .
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