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Mongolian Culture and HeritageThe culture of the Central Asian steppes expresses itself vividly in the lifestyle of traditional nomadic practices. Mongolian culture has been in practice in the nomadic life and the traditions surrounding the nomad’s home (ger). And it is present in religious celebrations, national festivals, art and crafts, music and dance, language and literature, which form the backbone of Mongolian intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mongolia is filled with valuable cultural properties and intangible cultural heritage of humanity that have been kept or practiced for thousands of years.\n\nGer, Mongolian Traditional Dwelling\nThe traditional architecture of the Mongols differed strongly from that of the settled peoples of Asia and other continents. Centuries ago, there the ger, also known as a yurt, appeared. It still offers shelter to nomads in particular places in Central Asia. Its development and fundamental principles are determined by the specific features of the way of life of Mongol tribes, which made it necessary to evolve a light and collapsible structure to be used as a dwelling or for public functions.\n\nMongolian Language and Literature\nMongolian is the language of most of the Mongolian population and inner Mongolia. By origin, Mongolian is one of the Altaic family of languages, and the history of the Mongolian language is long and complicated. Significant literary work of early Mongolia includes The Secret History of the Mongols, which was published in 1228).\n\nMongolian Religion and Beliefs\nThe Mongols have practiced several religions, of which Shamanism and Buddhism were the most common. The faith in Mongolia is Buddhism, though the state and religion were separated during the socialist period, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s, there has been a general revival of faiths across the country\n\nMongolian Art and Crafts\nMongolian arts and crafts have been passed down across generations from the Paleolithic times to today, leaving behind deep impressions on all facets of life and conscious, aesthetic, and philosophical thinking. Highly developed Mongolian arts and crafts come from the second millennium BCE. The works included sculptured heads of wild animals with exaggerated features. Other items include knives, daggers, and other items of practical and religious use.\n\nMongolian Music and Dance\nMusic is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among Mongolia’s unique contributions to the world’s musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing, and morin khuur (the horse-headed fiddle). The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country. Among the most popular forms of modern music in Mongolia are Western pop and rock genres and the mass songs written by contemporary authors in the form of folk songs.\n\nHorse Culture of Mongolia\nIt is famously known that horses play a large role in the Mongols’ daily and national lives. Common sayings are, “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings,” and “Mongols are born on horseback” these are arguably true words. Even today, horse-based culture is still practiced by nomadic Mongolians.\n\nVisit https://www.toursmongolia.com/tours for additional information about Mongolian culture.\n\nPhoto 1 : Prairie meadow grass inner Mongolia traditional clothing © Batzaya Choijiljav\nPhoto 2~7 : © Batzaya ChoijiljavYear2020NationMongolia
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Sak Yant: Sacred Tattoos of ThailandFor hundreds of years, Thai people drew images of animals, Khom scripts, and mystic diagrams (yantra) on their skin, believing that these would protect them against misfortunes. Sacred tattoos, known as sak yant (sak meaning “to tap” or “to tattoo”; yant meaning “sacred design or geometry”), were originally worn by warriors before a battle, but now they are enjoyed by the general public like a lucky charm. Sak yant is traditionally rendered using a bamboo needle by tattoo masters (ajarns) among Buddhist monks. But the magical power of such tattoos is not permanent, so it is believed they should be recharged on a regular basis. The popularity of sak yant led to an annual tattoo festival in March in Wat Bang Phra, a Buddhist temple/monastery about fifty kilometers west from Bangkok.\n\nBefore dawn people start gathering at the vast monastery compound. They sit on the ground facing the altar with the statue of Luang Phor Pern, a famous meditation monk renowned for his mastery of sacred tattoos. Temple monks begin a ceremony called Sak Yant Wai Kru in the morning though prior to this, peculiar occurrences take place. Some of the tattoo-bearers become possessed by their own images: of a warrior, an old man, a tiger, a crocodile, or Hanuman, a monkey demigod of Hindu mythology. All of a sudden they jump up yelling or roaring like animals and run toward the altar. Frenetic in their trance, they are held above the ground, their ears are rubbed or blown, which swiftly brings them back to their normal consciousness, then they do wai (Thai gesture of reverence; a bow with the palms pressed together), and peacefully return to their seats.\n\nThe tradition of writing protective tattoos has a long history in Southeast Asia. Sak yant, sacred geometrical designs tattooed by revered monks, in particular, is an old social practice that continuously reaffirms the heritage of Thailand.\n\nPhoto : Ceremony participant believed to be possessed by his tiger tattoo. © Eva RapoportYear2018NationThailand
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Mother’s Day in NepalMother’s Day is a holiday in honor of the mothers, that is celebrated in different forms throughout the world. Nepalese Mother’s Day which is known as “Amako mukh herne din” which literally means to look upon a mother’s face in the Nepali language, is celebrated across the nation on the last day of the dark fortnight of April or early May.\n\nOn this auspicious day, regardless of age, all the sons and daughters prepare traditional sweets and gifts. Then they visit their mother and bow deeply to the mother’s toe to receive her blessing and offer her gifts and sweets. In consequence, the mother blesses them by touching their foreheads with her hand (bowing deep down to the toe is an ancient ritual that expresses honor and respect to the elders and love, good fortune, and blessings to the younger). On the other hand, married daughters dress in a colorful sari, wear different jewelry, and visit their mothers by carrying baskets full of delicious traditional foods, fruits, and sweets. All family members gather together, thank their mother, get a blessing from her, and spend quality time together.\n\nHowever, those who have already lost their mother go to Mata Tirtha (Mata means mother and Tirtha means pilgrimage), a sacred pond southwest of central Kathmandu to do ritual offerings for the departed soul of the mother.\n\nThe story behind Mata Tirtha.\n\n“Legends says that there was a boy who used to take his cows to graze nearby the pond. After the sudden death of his mother, he was depressed. On Mother’s Day, he went to the forest to pray at the edge of the pond in remembrance of his mother. As he offered gifts, his mother’s beloved face miraculously appeared in the water. He wanted her to go back home but it was impossible because she was dead. The dead mother agreed to appear in the pond every year, and the boy started visiting his mother on the same day every year.”\n\nTherefore, until today people with the hope to see their mother’s face in the pond go to Mata Tirtha. It is said, however, that a lady visiting the pond wished to see her mother’s face, and as soon as she saw her mother’s face, she jumped into the pond to join her and disappeared into the depths. Since that event, it is said that the dead people stopped being seen in the pond.\n\nBut, nevertheless, those whose mother is dead still go to the pond to take a holy bath, do sraddha (Hindu worship) and offer gifts nearby the temple to offer respect to the demised soul to rest in peace.\n\nSo, people across the country come to this pond, often traveling many hours they arrive at dawn, pray for the peace of their mother’s soul and take a bath in the pond which is considered a holy bath, and do sraddha. Every year on this day, a big religious fair takes place at Mata Tirtha. After the offerings and praying and holy bathing in the name of the deceased, people say that they feel the warmth of their mother’s blessing. So, after finishing all rituals they go to the fair and enjoy it.\n\nBut nowadays Mother’s Day celebration is being westernized. People instead of preparing traditional sweets, bake or buy a cake with “Happy Mother’s Day” on it and instead of eating at home, they eat out.\n\nIn spite of that, Mother’s Day is one of the most important traditions in Nepal. It is a special time for a family reunion and showing respect to the mother.\n\nphoto : Daughter is putting 'Tika' on mother's forehead to get blessing on Mother's Day . © Rashmi MaharjanYear2022NationNepal
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Salburuun—Traditional Hunting Games of Kyrgyz PeopleSalburuun is a traditional Kyrgyz hunting game with a long history. Traditionally, salburuun comes from the nomadic tradition of protecting herds from wolves. Moreover, Kyrgyz people have a long tradition of hunting with eagles and faithful dogs called taigan. During hunting campaigns, people identify the best hunters, horses, eagles, and taigans. salburrun is not only about the skills of the hunter but also his relationship and courage with eagles or taigan. Therefore, salburuun is a complex hunting game with birds of prey, taigans, and traditional bow shooting. In Kyrgyzstan, different salburrun festivals have been held and is part of the World Nomad Games held every two years in Kyrgyzstan.\n\nThe various salburuun games include burkut salu, dalba, and taigan jarysh. Burkut salu is a complex hunting activity with eagle. Usuallys, the burkut salu team consists of six people with one team leader and other five berkutchi (hunter with an eagle). Participants test their skills two exercises as chyrga and ondok. Dalba is hunting with falcon. In this competition, the speed of the falcon’s flight to lure is tested. Each kushchu (falconer) is given two minutes to test his falcon. During this time, the falcon had to imitate an attack on a lure from the air. Judges note how many times the falcon flies and imitates an attack. Taigan jarysh is another type of traditional hunting game in the form of dog racing. After the judge’s signal, dogs are released simultaneously to chase a fox or hare dummy pulled by the rider or a special apparatus. There are three competitions the initial, semi-final and final races in which each dog’s ability is determined. If a dog tries to bite or hinder another dog during the race, the dog is disqualified.\n\nSalburuun is a unique traditional method of hunting that combines the teamwork of eagles, falcons, and taigan dogs. The games draw attention of thousands of people from all over the world, which is why it is part of the World Nomad Games that are held in Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, there are a number of festivals and competitions hosted to foster salburuun as comprehensive hunting game, which is now also considered an art form as well.\n\nPhoto : Engraving of Kyrgyz traditions, created in 1880Year2019NationKyrgyzstan
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TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF THE MORIN KHUURThe Mongols have traditionally shown great respect for the horse, honoring it in their national values and symbols (flags and emblems) as well as in folk songs. The morin khuur, so named for the ornamental horse-head carving at the top of its neck, is a unique two-stringed musical instrument developed by nomadic Mongols. The strings of both the bow and fiddle are made from the hair of a horse’s tail.Year2010NationSouth Korea