The Mongol Tuuli is oral tradition that recounts heroic Epics from Mongolian history. It contains hundreds of thousands of lines. These Epics are performed by a Tuulich (minstrel) who is gifted in reciting arts and can accompany themselves with tuneful melody. Epics are learned by rote.

Since ancient times mongols have developed and transmitted a set of folk knowledge and practices of recognizing and training swift horses. The swift horses are selected for the Naadam (festival). They are trained by the Uyachid (trainers). The riders are children (both boys and girls) aged from 6 to 12.

Bii Biilgee is performed in a very small space of Ger and expresses the different symbolic signs by movements of hands, shoulders, waist and head. It is regarded as origin of Mongolian national dances and their source of creativity.

Saddle-making includes the creation of the wooden saddle, the silver equipments and accessories such as a cushion, baavar (silver decoration), iron stirrup. This is a complex art of craftsmanship of wood, silver, hide and leather which challenges the skill of a talented artisan.

The Ger is a traditional dwelling of the nomadic mongols. Ger is not only housing but is also model of the Universe and a symbol of national identity. Generally, it consists of a wooden framework, a felt cover and ropes. Ger is portable, light, compact and ecological home. It comprises all types of traditional arts.

Tsam is a traditional religious mask dance. It is a mixture of the dance, music, theatrical art and rituals. Tsam is performed by dancing characters wearing various masks of different religious figures.

Mongols believe that each mountain has its own life and deity. In order to worship and serve the deities they create sacred Ovoo (Pile of stones) on the top of the mountains. Sacred Mountain has its own sutras (writings) for reciting during rituals.

Khuumei is a wonder of ancient art created by Mongolian nomads. This exceptional art of music uses the human vocal organs as a musical instrument. Therefore Khuumei is called as a “Human music”

Mongolian calligraphy is expressed through the brush strokes used in vertically orientated classical Mongolian national script. Composed of several writing patterns, the art requires a combination of hand and eye coordination as well as and skills with using brush, ink, and paper.

“Esgii” is felt broadly used by nomads in Mongolia in everyday life, especially for covering Ger-Traditional dwelling. Esgii is made from sheep and camel wool by felting. Herders produce various ornamented felt products such as carpets, bags, clothing and sacks of household utensils.

Shamanism is the oldest form of Traditional religion in Mongolia. The main rite of shamanism is to worship and make sacrifice to heaven. According to shamanism blue sky and green earth are venerated. The shamanic rites are performed by shamans.

Mongols move from place to place throughout the four seasons in search of new pasture for their animals. The head of the family decides where to encamp. The Ger and all its equipments are loaded on the camels or ox and move to new site.

The coaxing ritual is used by herders to save newborn calves orphaned or rejected by their mothers. A camel mare is coaxed into accepting an orphaned or estranged calf by singing melody accompanied by the Мorin khuur music.

Naadam is Mongolian traditional Festival during which Mongols compete at horse racing, wrestling and marksmen participate in the archery contests. Such Festivals are usually organized in summer and autumn months nationwide. Naadam Festival was included on the “Representative List of ICH of Humanity”

Mongolian folk song (Urtiin Duu) is an outstanding and extraordinary masterpiece of a song and music art. Most scholars consider the Long song to be a unique and outstanding phenomenon in the scope of the world musical arts. The Long Song is the richest and most treasured traditional song of unusual long and wide tonal range. It is sung in full and powerful voice and various decorative effects of the music.

The morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) is a two-stringed musical instrument with a carved horse-head that serves as an aggregation of traditional Mongolian culture. Its strings and bow are made of horse-tail hair and can produce an expansive musical range, excellent sound expressions, and a perfect harmonization of tune and melody.

Mongolian traditional games in Shagai or anklebone of sheep. There are four positions of anklebone each of which has its own name: horse, sheep, goat and camel. Mongols have about 100 variations of anklebone games. For example, there are “Horse race”, “Catching anklebones”, “Anklebone guessing” “Flicking anklebones”, “Multicolored turtle”, “Anklebone shooting” and etc. Mostly children play these games, but sometimes adults are also involved in them. Among games in Shagai most popular is anklebone shooting.

Mongolians deeply respect childbirth and childhood as a good omen and bright future. They have many valuable customs related to the childhood. For instance, there are the custom of naming, custom of ablution to a child, customs of cutting the child’s hair for the first time, etc.

Airag or Kumis in Russian is fermented mare’s milk beverage. This healing and foaming drink produced by fermentation of fresh mare’s milk with natural enzymes in Khukhuur (leather sack). Khukhuur is made from big bull’s hide. Mongols highly value Airag as a magic beverage and perform unique and specific rituals related to Airag.

Archery is traditional entertainment sport of the Mongols. This ICH element includes not only archery itself but also traditional techniques of making bows. The bows and arrows are made from horn, bamboo, and local trees.

Traditional Rituals Related to Childhood Mongolians consider childbirth a good omen. Mongols give the child ablutions to honor the one who has adopted the human form and born as a little citizen of the state. During the ablution ceremony, the lifelong name is given to the newborn as well. There are other rituals and customs related to raising children in Mongolia, including customs related to the child’s first haircut.

Traditional Art of Khuumei (Throat Singing) (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2010) Khuumei is a wonder of culture created by nomads, a unique phenomenon of traditional Mongolian music, an ancient art form, and the highest form of art produced by the vocal organs. Khuumei is considered one of the most significant and unique musical cultures, passed down from generation to generation through home training for hundreds of thousands of years, among nomads. The wonder of “whistling khuumei” as it is called lies in producing two or more pitches simultaneously, one of which is a fundamental pitch from the chest and the other a higher pitch resonating to the hard palate.

Mongolian National Long Song – Urtin Duu (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2008) The Mongolian long song (urtin duu) is an extraordinary masterpiece of song art and a unique phenomenon in the world musical arts. The long song is the richest and most treasured traditional song with an unusually long and wide tonal range. It is sung in a full and powerful voice and various decorative effects of the music.

Traditional Art of Morin Khuur Music (Horse-Head Fiddle) Mongolia (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2008) The morin khuur, a unique two-stringed musical instrument with a horse-head, is an aggregation of traditional Mongolian culture. The strings and bow are made of horse-tail hair and can produce an expansive musical range, excellent sound expressions, and a perfect harmonization of tune and melody.

Folk Knowledge and Tradition of Recognizing and Training Swift Horses Since ancient times, Mongols have developed a complex understanding of how to choose the swiftest horses from among a herd and coach and train these horses to race. Over one month, the horses’ diet is restricted, and the horses are raced over longer and longer distances each day. Race horses are classified into six age categories: ikh nas, soyolon, azarga, khyzaalan, shüdlen, and daaga, and horses in each category race for different distances. The jockeys are children between the ages of 6 and 13. The sweat-scraper and brush are patterned with symbolic designs of the horse’s prowess and promptness.

Traditional Craftsmanship of the Mongolian Ger and Associated Customs (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2013) The Mongolian ger is composed of wooden frames, canvas, and ropes. The wooden frames comprise the crown, roof poles, wall lattices, door, and two pillars; each wooden element is produced by separate, specialized carpenters. The traditional craftsmanship of the Mongol ger reflects the nomadic culture and national identity of Mongolia.

Traditional Games in Shagai (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2014) Mongolians have traditional games in which they use shagai or sheep anklebones. There are four anklebone positions and each has its own name: horse, sheep, goat, and camel. There are about a hundred variations of anklebone games. Mostly children play these games, but sometimes adults are also involved in them. Among shagai games, the most popular is anklebone shooting.

Mongolian worship ceremonies are performed at sacred sites to invoke assistance from deities of nature: in the summer for timely rain and abundant pastures and in the autumn for protecting humans and livestock from a harsh winter. The tradition maintains a variety of forms of intangible cultural heritage and builds a sense of community and solidarity among the people while strengthening awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. On a specified day, all the participants gather early in the morning at the worship site. Everyone wears their ceremonial clothes and brings offerings to the deities.

Traditional Technique of Making Airag The occasion of fermenting a mare’s milk is celebrated with a feast that is held within three days of tethering foals. The ceremony is held to summon prosperity, to encourage horse herds to multiply, to wish for an abundance of airag (fermented mare’s milk) and other dairy products, and to bless newborn animals. During the ceremony, the proceedings (tethering foals, milking mares, holding a milk libation ritual, reciting milk libation and anointment, and sharing the ceremonial mutton and mare milking feast) are carried out alternately.

Traditional Knowledge and Technique of Making a Bow and Arrow In many countries, people craft bows and arrows, but practitioners in Mongolia are the only ones who still make a bow with bamboo or birch for the medial part; with the sinew of camels, bovine, and equine animals for the outer back part; and with the horn of a wild buffalo or ibex for the inner part. Currently there are five different forms of archery practiced in Mongolia: khalkh, buriad, uriankhai, morin, and sarampai archery. The need to revitalize and develop adequate craftsmanship for each is becoming increasingly important.