When someone is traveling far away/long distances, you spray milk with a wooden spoon.
Mongolians respect milk as pure, kind heartedness, therefore we tell that “The best refreshment is milk”. When someone is travelling far away, we spray milk by telling all the good wishes. Not only in this condition, but also when welcoming someone, doing farewell, getting married and during all other cultural customs include milk to wish happiness.
Numbers and dates – When it comes to numbers and dates, these are very necessary because of numerological horoscope. General things that 3, 7 and 9 are lucky number, in contrast, 13 and 666 are bad omen numbers. In somedays, people let nothing out of house, sometimes Tuesdays are considered as bad day to start new business or meeting. Likewise, we even have haircutting dates. When planning a big ceremony or cultural event, people choose the best day by lunar calculation.
Do not be surprised if you see babies with black lines on their noses.
Before going out at night, young children's foreheads are sometimes painted with charcoal or soot to deceive evil spirits.
If you are late at some traditional festivals in Mongolia, you might have punished by 5 or 10 litres of Airag, which is fermented mare milk. It is the national beverage of Mongolia with about 2-6% of alcohol concentration.
Snuff bottle ritual— A guest and host offer each other their snuff bottles to examine as part of a greeting ritual. It is customarily expected that guests will be served with the finest meal possible and that vodka will also be plentiful. If you receive a snuff bottle at Mongolian family, you should gently loosen the top without removing it, sniff it, examine it briefly and then hand it back to its owner. The owner will sniff it again before putting it away or passing it to another guest.
As one of the only remaining horse-based cultures in the world, Mongolians greatly cherish their horses. Outside the capital, the horse is still the main mode of transportation and children begin riding as soon as they can sit up. Nomads are extremely proud of their riding skills and horse racing is a favorite pastime.
The most prestigious tests of these superb animals are the horse races at the Naadam Festival, which takes place each July. Families travel for days to be able to participate or just attend this grand event.
Besides, hospitality mandates to present a bowl of airag to each visitor. A Mongolian can normally empty it, but it is also acceptable to just take a sip and return the bowl. To reject the offer right away would be gravely impolite.
