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Lonely Ger
Visitors to this Hut
So far today, February 9 , 2012
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| 8 |
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| 8 |
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Since this journal started on January 8 , 2009 :
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| 34 |
members |
| 1228 |
guests |
| 1312 |
pageviews |
Welcome to my ger! That's what we Mongolians call a yurt. No, you mustn't call my home a grrr. The word rhymes with bear or dare.
Don't mind the dogs. They are here to protect me and my livestock, and to let me know when someone is coming to see me. All you have to do when you come close is to yell "no-khoi kho-rio" which means "Catch your dog!", and wait for me to appear. Don't try to pet my dogs either. They don't like you. They probably don't like me all that much either, so don't feel too bad about it.
But won't you come in? I can offer you a cup of Suutei Tsai or perhaps something stronger would be more to your taste?
Please be careful to step over the threshold and not on it, as that is most impolite, nor should you speak to the people you see inside my ger until you have fully entered. Once you have crossed the threshold, it is customary to move inside in a clockwise direction from the south facing door, first west, then north, to greet the eldest of the house, and then back to the west where guests sit. The east side is reserved for the family of the household.
You must be careful to make your way around the perimeter of the ger, and to never walk under the central rafters, nor to pass anything under them, nor to lean on them or the walls or the furniture. You can sit on the beds which are along the walls, even if someone is sleeping there, but please don't put your feet up on any of the furniture. It is most impolite. Be careful not to show the bottoms of your feet while you are sitting, and should you inadvertantly touch another's foot, quickly offer your hand to shake to mitigate the offense. And if you are a female, you must not sit cross-legged inside my ger. It just isn't done. Did you wear a hat? Then you must take it off and place it on some surface, open end down, never on the floor nor in a position where it might touch another's hat.
Once you have greeted my family and friends, begin your visit with polite inquiries about our families and livestock, before coming to the reason for your visit. Please do not be offended if we ask you many questions. It is our way of learning about the world beyond our range.
Of course you will be offered food and drink. We Mongolians would never think of welcoming a guest without refreshments. Please roll down your sleeves before accepting our hospitality and before greeting the eldest in the ger. Take anything that's offered you with either your right hand or with both hands, and hold your cup from the bottom. Never stand while drinking with us and please don't whistle inside the ger.
Please do not throw your trash into the fire. Such an act will bring ill luck to this house. We believe that our hearth fire is sacred and therefore it must be treated respectfully. There's a fuel bin over there you can put your litter in so we can use it to start another fire.
When you are ready to leave, you will want to back out, so as not to turn your back to the inhabitants. I do hope you'll visit again. It breaks the monotony of life in the unpopulated region where I live.
We Mongolians often capture raptors to aid us in hunting for meat. Eagles are a favorite, though they're quite hard to come by. I got lucky. My friend Arianwen made me a gift of this lovely bird when she came to visit. If you want to learn more about hunting with birds, do visit her Royal Mews.
avatar by Sorgha Khan
ger customs from http://www.mongolian-ways.com/customs.htm
main image in the public domain from wikicommons
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