LUNAR NEW YEAR:

Mongols have been celebrating the New Year according to the lunar calendar for more than 2000 years. Each year of the 12-year cycle of the Lunar Calendar is named after one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Cock, Dog and Pig.

Today, the Lunar New Year remains the holiday Mongols most look forward to, celebrated as a greeting of Spring, when nature and people are renewed and inspired to take on new challenges and endeavors. We will spend this celebration with a nomadic family and experience the holiday first-hand, which consists largely of feasting and togetherness, by sampling traditional Mongolian vodka and steamed dumplings.