When Sagaalgan in 2022 in Buryatia

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Sagaalgan, or the holiday of the White month - New Year, which is annually celebrated by all peoples professing Buddhism. Each year it is celebrated on different dates, since it is calculated according to the lunar calendar. All believers begin to prepare for the celebrations in advance, so it is important to know when and what date Sagaalgan will start in Buryatia in 2022.

A bit of history

Sagaalgan has been celebrated by Buddhists for several millennia. Initially, all celebrations took place in the fall, when cattle began to bear offspring, an abundance of dairy products appeared.

In the 13th century, the grandson of Genghis Khan Khan Khubilai, relying on the astrological calendar, moved this holiday to the winter months and determined the date of its celebration to be the day of the first new moon of the new year. Later at the same time, Sagaalgan began to be celebrated in Mongolia.

He moved to Russia from Mongolia along with the nomads, but for a long time it was not considered official and was not celebrated. At the same time, some Turkic peoples celebrated it even before the middle of the 20th century. The revival of Sagaalgan and its traditions in Russia began only in the 90s of the last century.

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When Sagaalgan in 2022

Since different peoples professing Buddhism live on different calendars, the date of the first new moon does not coincide everywhere. Therefore, lamas calculate the dates for several years in advance according to the region of their residence.

Most often, the beginning of the White Month falls in February, less often in January. In 2022, the Buddhist New Year will come on February 1st. For residents of Buryatia, this day is an official day off.

Unlike the New Year, which according to the Gregorian calendar begins exactly at midnight, the beginning of the new year for Buddhists comes with the sunrise on the first day of the White month.

Sagaan Ubgen

Buddhists, like Christians, have their own Santa Claus, whose name is Sagaan Ubgen (White Elder). This is a magician who brings people wealth, prosperity and happiness. He, like the Russian Father Frost, has his own residence - in Buryatia, in the Ethnographic Museum.

The white elder always appears at the Fairytale Sagaalgan festival, dressed in white clothes decorated with Buryat patterns, and holding a staff with a dragon's head in his hand.

Traditions

The traditions of the holiday are rooted in the distant past and must be respected. Children of every Buryat family are obliged to know their relatives up to the 7th generation, therefore, in the White Month, parents must introduce them to all representatives of their kind.

On the eve of Sagaalgan, the Buryats put their dwellings in order and put offerings of meat and dairy dishes on the table, but they start eating them only the next day, when the White Month begins.

There should be abundance on the festive table. Various national dishes are displayed on it:

• buuza (poses) - a hot meat dish that looks like manti;
• oryomog is another meat dish that contains lungs;
• lamb liver "in a shirt";
• hotorgoin shupan - blood sausage;
• hushuur - a meat cake;
• salamat - a national sour cream dish;
• boows - festive pastries.

Also, dairy food is always present on the table: sour cream, milk, cottage cheese, homemade cheese.

Buryats consider it important to do the following a day before the start of the holiday:

• prepare gifts for all relatives;
• clean out all the trash and debris from the yard;
• throw out old worn clothes;
• make peace with enemies;
• pay off all debts.

You cannot sleep on the eve of the holiday, otherwise you can lose the favor of the goddess Lhamo, who travels around all the settlements 3 times at night. Therefore, at this time, all family members sit down at the table for dinner and have calm, sincere conversations. A prerequisite is that everyone is wearing national hats, and the buttons on their clothes are necessarily buttoned up. It is forbidden to eat meat dishes and drink alcohol.

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It is customary to spend the first day of Sagaalgan with your family and parents, and from the second day, visits to distant relatives begin.

Also on this holiday, various events are held throughout Buryatia:

• concerts;
• Exhibitions;
• gastronomic festivals;
• trade fairs;
• festivities.

On holidays, they visit relatives, friends and acquaintances. At this time, it is customary to welcome each guest, treat him, wish him all the best and give him gifts.

Outcomes

Sagaalgan is a big bright holiday for all peoples professing Buddhism. It is believed that if you meet him with prayers and observing all traditions, the new year will be happy, profitable and successful. In 2022, Sagaalgan falls on February 1.