Art & Culture of Mongolia
Ornaments and Volutes
The two major types of pattern in Mongolian decorative art are the ornament, "which creates the rhythm" and volutes-scrolls, which emphasizes the form. Together, they create balance. There are five types of Mongolian motifs: geometric, zoomorphic, botanical, shapes from natural phenomena, and symbols. Geometric designs include alhan hee, or meander; tumennasan, or eternity pattern; olzii utas, or "happiness" knot; khan buguivch, or khan's bracelet; hatan suih, or princess's earrings; zooson hee, or coin; and tuuzan hee, or ribbon.
Handmade and Crafts
Mongolian nomads’ homes, clothes, weapons and living conditions are impossible to imagine without crafts and embroidery. Unique arts have developed from common things used in everyday life of nomads over thousands of years. The beginning of decorative arts was cave painting. Fortune telling set of animals and cattle figures characterized the art of the Bronze Age people. In the 20th century craft art almost became separated from herding life style and became an independent section of Mongolian art. There are 7000 different kinds of Mongolian patterns. The most ancient of them include “Sulden Khee”- emblem, the next one is “Galan Khee”- Fire, and it is a very important pattern because all Mongolians honor Fire.
Traditional and Modern Mongolian Music
Music is an integral part of Mongolian culture and the Mongolians are renowned for their love for music and singing. Mongolian music conveys the deep appreciation that Mongolians have for their country, its natural beauty and the inspiring deep blue sky above the vast Mongolian landscape. Mongolian songs are often about beloved horses and beauty of the Mongolian countryside.
Morin Khuur
A two-stringed fiddle figures prominently in the nomadic culture of Mongolia. String instruments adorned with horse head is referred to by written sources dating back from the Mongol empire of the 13th- 14th centuries. The instrument’s hollow trapezoid- shaped body is attached to a long fretless neck bearing a carved horse head at its extremity. Just below the head, two tuning pegs just out like ears from either side of the neck. The soundboard id covered with animal skin, and the strings and bow are made of horsehair. The instrument’s characteristic sound is produced by sliding or stroking the bow against the two strings.
The Urtiin Duu or Long Song
Long song is one of two major forms of Mongolian singing. The other one is called shor song. Urtiin duu as ritual form of expression associated with important celebrations and festivals hold a special place in the Mongolian society.
Mongolian Khumii or Throat singing
During singing two simultaneous tones, a huge and a low one are produced with the vocal cords. It is a rare skill that requires special ways of breathing. Khumii is considered as an art form and not exactly a singing but using one’s throat as an instrument.
Tsam Dance and Mongolian Folk dance
The Mongols are Lamaists and hence also know the Tsam. It had been very highly developed, and there could been found real masters of their art among painters, sculptors, architects, and especially skilled craftsmen.
Folk dance: Mongolian folk dance, notably the forms known as bielgee, expresses the distinct psychology and movement way of life their thinking, perception of life and the environment, language, traditions, philosophy, all these are connected and form a unique and integrated type of culture of the Mongolian people. Folk dance in the central Khalkh region is characterized by a graceful and ceremonial style, with gentle, swinging movements: the dances of the western Mongolia, on the other hand, as performed by the Zahchih, Torguud, Urianhai, Durved, Hoton, Bayad and Uuld Mongols are generally dominated by fast, abrupt movement of the arms and upper body, throwing of the shoulders, and shaking and crossing of the arms. The Buriads are famous for their communal round dances and songs. Eastern Mongolian dances features elegant movements and a serious air.
Mongol Ger: Mongolian traditional dwelling- Ger is referred as the White Pearl of the Steppe. The ger perfected to meet the demands of a nomad’s life, is a circular felt covered dwelling with lattice walls that can be erected and dismantled within an hour. The material of the ger are lightweight that makes it easy for herders to transport the gers either on the back of a camel or on a horse- pulled cart. The Mongolian ger has to key components: the wooden frame work and the the felt cover, the wooden framework is known as khana, the central support columns as uni, the smoke hole is toono. Eighty - eight separate wooden poles each measuring around 1.5 meters are used for the ger frame, with just to central columns supporting the entire structure. Without its felt and canvas covering the naked frame looks something like an umbrella without its sheath. Once the framework has been erected it is covered with felt and mounted onto a wooden floor sometimes the ger goes directly on the ground, and then overlaid with felt.
Costumes: The Mongolian national costume is a deel, which is made from silk, textiles and sheep skins. The deel is Mongols' traditional garment worn on both workdays and ceremony days. Loovuuz is a hat for winter seasons and is was made from sheep fur or fox fur. Girls wore a toortsog, a silk covered round hat with six gussets and a ball like knot on the top, from which long nice tapes hung down. Rich young women attached pearl strings to their hat. Married women wore high crowned black velvet hats with silver decorations.
Boots:
Regarding the boots, all people wear the same styled and shaped high boots. The Mongolian boots wore by ordinary people and lords are distinguished from their decorations. Mongolian high boots were made from thick unbending leather, a bit processed skins, and the top of it is decorated with leather appliques. The right and left boots have the same shape. The boots were worn with thick socks made from quilted cloth. High boots had no heels while their pointed tips were upturned.