What is the day before Tsagaan Sar called in Mongolia?

The day before Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia is called Bituun. Tsagaan Sar is the Mongolian Lunar New Year, and Bituun corresponds to the dark or new-moon phase immediately before the new year begins.

Bituun is a preparation and closing-of-the-old-year day. Families clean their homes, and herders traditionally clean livestock shelters as well. People aim to settle disagreements, repay debts, and enter the new year with their surroundings and relationships renewed.

The evening also has its own meal and ritual atmosphere. Families gather, eat dairy products and buuz, and mark the transition from the old year to the new one. The day is generally more focused on the immediate household than the larger visits and greetings of the main festival days.

The lunar terminology can cause confusion. Bituun is the dark moon; Shined refers to the new crescent, Tergel to the full moon, and Huuchid to the waxing moon. In the Tsagaan Sar calendar, however, Bituun specifically names the festival’s eve.