What Mongolian Lunar New Year festival name means White Moon?

The Mongolian Lunar New Year festival whose name means “White Moon” is Tsagaan Sar. It is the first day of the year in the Mongolian lunisolar calendar and one of Mongolia’s most important traditional holidays.

Tsagaan Sar is celebrated during the first three days of the first lunar month. The day before it is Bituun, associated with the dark or new moon. Families traditionally clean their homes, settle debts, and gather for a final meal of dairy products and buuz, steamed dumplings, before welcoming the new year.

During the festival, people visit relatives and friends, often gathering at the home of the family’s eldest member. A distinctive greeting is zolgokh, in which people support one another by grasping the elbows during an exchange of respect. Guests may eat mutton, dairy foods, rice with curds, and buuz, while gifts and blue silk khadag are also part of ceremonial practice.

Sagaalgan is a related name used by some Mongolic peoples, especially Buryats in Russia, but it is not the standard answer for Mongolia’s national festival. Losar is Tibetan New Year, and Naadam is Mongolia’s summer festival of wrestling, horse racing, and archery.