Making Buuz

Last week Justin and I were invited to our neighbor's house to help them make buuz (pronounced: boadz). They had several other people over helping them make their buuz for Tsagaan Sar. Each family makes about 1,000-2,000 of these meat filled pot stickers for this holiday. One tradition is to put a coin in one of the buuz and whoever eats that buuz is supposed to have good luck for the new year. During Tsagaan Sar you go to one house/ger to the next and visit family, friends and co-workers. This holiday lasts for 3 days. Day one is reserved for family members, day 2 is for visiting co-workers and day three is open for anyone to visit (friends). I hear we'll be averaging about 8 houses a day and that we'll stay at each home for about 45 mins-1 hr. The tradition is the same in each home: say your traditional Tsagaan Sar greeting, eat buuz, drink milk tea, drink fermented horse or camel milk (airag), and drink vodka, then you're on to the next ger to do the exact same thing all day long. I am pretty nervous. This holiday probably has the most traditions out of all the Mongolian holidays and I am nervous I will forget to do something or say something that I am supposed to say.

Here are a couple videos of me and Justin at our neighbor's house making Buuz:





Well today was a beautiful day, despite it being in the -20's. Mongolia is a very beautiful country. I love the stillness of winter. The cool, crisp air is really refreshing at times...mostly when the wind isn't blowing. It is just beautiful. I cannot wait for the summer, though! I love the green, green hills and open space with such wide blue cloudless skies. It's amazing. I can't even begin to discribe the stars, you just wouldn't understand unless you've seen it for yourself. I am from Texas and the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas...but Texas has NOTHING on Mongolian stars.