Many Mongolians do not value their complex extended families. The more intimate intermediate family, however, is considered sacred, and is valued greatly. Nomadic families share a close bond because they always travel together, and live in the same yurt, with children sleeping on one side, and the parents on the other. There is a high birthrate in Mongolia, and families tend to have many children.
Check out this video! You will see how a traditional Mongolian home (Yurt) is made. You will also get a tour of the inside, and see just how close Mongolian families live together! Notice the traditional music at the beginning of the video. ENJOY!
VIEWS ABOUT SUCCESS
Mongolians are generally very superstitious and believe that success comes from good omens. They also believe that success can be taken away at any moment by pointing a cigarette at someone else while smoking, spilling a glass of sacred milk, and by stepping on the threshold of someone else's yurt. Many Mongolians hold the simplistic and beautiful view that success is owning land, having a garden, raising horses, and being self-sufficient while living off the land.
VIEWS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP/HOSPITALITY
Mongolians are often quiet, introspective people with only a few family friends. They are extremely hospitable and welcome guests into their yurt at any time. Since visitors often travel far distances, Mongolians treat their guests like royalty, and traditionally serve lots of vodka and beef filled dumplings called buuz when they arrive. It is also tradition to slaughter the family's best livestock in honour of the guests.
MONGOLIAN EDUCATION
In the early 20th century, education was controlled by Buddhist monasteries, and was a priviledge that was limited to monks. As a result of this, many Mongolian elders are illiterate with no education. There are also many people who live nomadic lifestyles who have never been to school becuase of transportation or farming challenges. In the late 20th century, the Mongolian government made a lot of changes to their educational mandates and declared that all children must complete eight years of schooling, and that English must be taught at all schools. Mongolia has one university located in its capital Ulaanbaatar where men and women can study science, English, math and other subjects.
THE MONGOLIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
RELIGION IN MONGOLIA
Around 50% of Mongolia's population is Lamast Buddhist, also known as Tibetan Buddhism. Approximately 6% of Mongolia's population is Shamanist and Christian, 4% are Muslim (mostly Kazakhs living in the west), and a staggering 40% of Mongolians declare themselves as not religious. Mongolians tend to be proud of their buddhist heritage and the Dalai Lama is one of their most beloved heroes.
Today, there are still many Mongolian Lamas who are similar to shamans in that they predict the future and fall into trances.
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