THE COUNTRY
* Mongolia’s land area is approximately the
size of Alaska.
As Gabriela stepped out of the airport
in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, she
couldn’t help but notice the bright blue
sky overhead. Not a cloud was in sight.
Gabriela soon learned that this sight is
typical in Mongolia because of its high
altitude and dry climate. Mongolians
boast that two-thirds of every year is
bright and sunny in their country.
Driving down the streets of Ulaanbaatar
brought even more interesting sights.
Just beyond the city’s high-rise buildings
were settlements of round, dome-topped
tents. Gabriela’s guide told her the tents
were gers, also called yurts. Nomad
Mongolians used these portable,
felt-covered tents as they moved from
place to place. Now people put them in
permanent locations. Towns often
assign them addresses, give them
access to electricity, and arrange them in
city blocks. Gabriela also saw a curious
mixture of clothing styles. While many
people wore clothing similar to U.S. styles,
others wore long, belted garments similar
to wraparound coats with standup collars
and buttons from the throat to the right
shoulder. Gabriela learned that these
outfits are called del. Worn by both men
and women, dels are often lined with fur
and worn with fur-lined boots to keep out
the cold. The color and design of the del is
often related to a person’s family ancestry.
Though she had been in Mongolia only
a few hours, Gabriela knew a memorable
adventure awaited her.
were required to learn Russian. The official
language, however, is Mongolian.
* The major religions of Mongolia are Buddhism
and shamanism. Often the practices of both
* Shaped somewhat like a football, Mongolia
religions are combined. Before the communist
is a landlocked country surrounded by Russia
revolution, almost half of Mongolia’s males
to the north and China to the south.
became Buddhist monks.
* Mongolia’s high altitude affects its climate
and temperature. Northern and western
Mongolia is mountainous. The Gobi Desert
lies in the south. The rest of the nation is a
high plateau where most of the grasslands
are located.
* The Gobi Desert is the world’s coldest and
northernmost desert. The Gobi bear, the
world’s only desert bear, lives there.
* Temperatures in Mongolia can change
drastically—sometimes up to 55 degrees in
one day. Winters are long and cold, with
temperatures dipping to more than minus
60 degrees.
* Popular activities include wrestling, archery
and horse racing. Although these are known as
“manly” sports, girls participate in horse racing
and archery.
* Horses are very important in Mongolian
culture. Children outside the cities learn to ride
horses almost as soon as they can walk.
* A traditional musical instrument is the morin
khuur (MAW-rin kher). A two-stringed fiddle,
it has a head shaped like a horse and is played
with a bow made of hair from a horse’s tail.
DID YOU KNOW?
*Mongolia receives only four to 14 inches of
rain each year. Rivers are fed by snow from
the mountains.
* Mongolia’s combined sheep and goat
population is about 24 million. That’s about
nine animals for every person!
* Raising livestock is the primary occupation.
The five animals raised are horses, camels,
sheep, cattle (including yaks), and goats.
Growing crops is hard because of the harsh
climate.
* Mongolia had no currency until 1925. Before
that time people bartered (traded) livestock, tea
and salt for the things they needed. Mongolian
money is now called tughrik. It takes about
1,161 tughrik to equal a U.S. dollar.
* Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, means “red * The door of a ger must always face south. The
hero.”
average ger weighs about 550 pounds and can
be set up in about 90 minutes.
* Mongolia’s flag is a blue vertical stripe
sandwiched between two red stripes. The
* Traditional Mongolian songs have two
national symbol is on the left-hand stripe.
forms—short and long. Long songs may have
up to 20,000 lines!
THE PEOPLE
* Faithful Buddhists write their prayers on slips
of paper and put them in a hollow, spinning
* Mongolia’s population is about the same as
tube called a prayer wheel. They believe that
Arkansas.
the more they spin the wheel, the more favor
they will receive.
* During the years of communism, people
THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN MONGOLIA
During the years of communism, the country was virtually closed to outsiders. In the early 1990s, a new government
was formed, allowing greater freedoms. The Assemblies of God was one of the first Christian missions to establish a
ministry in the country. After a gospel crusade in Ulaanbaatar, 500 people attended the first service at a new church,
called Hope Church. Today ministries in Mongolia include about 14 churches, a Bible school and ministries to the deaf.
mongolian
ThIngs to do
Plan a tea Party
You will need:
A long strip of white paper
Paint, crayons, or markers
Pencils for sketching
Brushes or small sponges
Plan a tea party for your friends, including foods from
the recipes your leader received. Decorate by spreading
a long strip of paper on a table. Draw items mentioned in
the information on Mongolia, such as a horse, a bow and
arrow, a ger, sheep, a mountain, and a scene of wideopen spaces. Spread the paper on the floor and ask your
guests to sit beside it as they eat Mongolian food.
Summer Festival
Every year Mongolia celebrates a summer holiday called
Naadam. Activities emphasize sports, especially horse
racing, archery, and wrestling. While these activities
probably aren’t practical party games where you live,
you can adapt them to make some fun games to play
with your friends.
Wrestling
Challenge each other to arm or thumb wrestling.
Horse Racing
Substitute with an obstacle course for a footrace. In
Mongolia, riders race their horses up and down hills and
through rivers. Include obstacles for your race, such as
going around trees, up and down hills, through tight
spaces or swinging on a rope across a sand box.
Archery
Use beanbags or balls and throw them at a target, such
as a trash can or barrel. See who can come closest to
hitting the target consistently.
What Are They Saying?
Through the years, Mongolians passed along bits of
wisdom in the form of sayings or proverbs. Some of
these sayings use word pictures that describe
Mongolian life. Read these Mongolian proverbs and
write what you think the underlying meaning is.
“God bless you, and may your moustache grow like
brushwood.”
“What is a joke for a cat will be death for a mouse.”
“If the mind is clean, fate is good.”
“Do not start if afraid; once begun do not be afraid.”
“Man’s joy is in wide-open and empty spaces.”
“If you drink the water, follow the custom.”
Mongolian Words
Mongolian words are written in symbols rather than
letters. However, here are some Mongolian words and
phrases that have been translated to English script.
Hello
Sain baina uu?
How are you?
Ta amar sain uu?
What’s your name?
Tany neriig hen gedeg ve?
I don’t speak Mongolian. Bi mongol khel medekhguy
I don’t understand.
Bi oilgokhgui baina
Yes
Tiim
No
Ugui
Good-bye
Bayartai