![[?]](/web.cgi/moin_static193/mandal/img/moin-help.png)
Nair xurim
(also nair, nair cengel)
The nair or nair xurim [1] is a form of Mongolian celebration traditionally held in the yurt, which involves feasting and drinking, accompanied by the performance of songs and dance, the recitation of blessings, the guessing of riddles, and various other types of folk arts. It serves a variety of cultural functions, as an instance for social gathering, entertainment and artistic production, as well as—in most cases—the accomplishment of a community or family ritual such as a wedding, the construction of a new yurt, the birth of a child, the first haircut ceremony, the completion of feltmaking, the branding of foals, or the production of the first airag in summer. Traditional celebrations also perform an important role as the context for artistic performance and the transmission of intangible heritage. Description of a traditional Mongolian festivity
Any festivity is generally expected to centre on the act of consuming a feast consisting of tea, dairy products, a complete boiled sheep and broth. The meat and dairy products are prepared in advance and set out on a table at the rear of the yurt prior to the beginning of the celebration. The serving of airag is also an important part of any feast conducted in summer or autumn.
The celebration follows a set protocol, which varies insofar as alternating rounds of song and drink may be added or subtracted to accommodate a relatively longer or shorter feast. Altogether the festivity lasts an entire day or, for a more significant occasion, up to three days.
1. Seating of guests and appointment to specific tasks. At the beginning of the festivity, the participants are seated by rank of age on either side of the yurt, with men on the west and women on the east, and the eldest and most distinguished guests seated towards the xoimor or rear of the home. The head of the host family invites someone who is highly respected and familiar with the local customs to act as the "head of the celebration" (lovon), offering him a xadag (silk scarf used as a symbol of respect) and a bowl of airag. The person thus appointed briefly introduces the protocol of the celebration, then takes a seat at the rear of the yurt. The singer and accompanying morin xuur and limbe players take a seat next to the head of the household. The head of the festivity appoints a so'nchin, responsible for ladling out airag from the so'n, a large vessel placed in the centre of the yurt, and an ayagachin for each side of the yurt, responsible for serving bowls of airag to the guests.
2. Beginning of the celebration (the first three rounds of airag). At the beginning of the festivity airag is served three times to all participants, in a quantity established by the director of the celebration. Once everyone has consumed three bowls of airag, the so'nchin pronounces the words "dugaraa zhigderlee", meaning literally "the serving of airag has reached a level", whereupon the head of the celebration gives permission to the singer and musicians to begin their performance.
3. Opening song (first three tu'rleg). The magnain duu or first song performed is typically one of the following three urtiin duu: "Avralyn deed", "Tu'mnii ex" or "Erxem to'r". At the end of each verse everyone joins in the singing of the tu'rleg chorus, which adds to the majesty of the celebration.
4. Three rounds of airag (baga dugaraa). After three tu'rleg the musicians take a short break and the common dugaraa (serving of airag) begins. Once the first song has been sung the morin xuur player briefly hangs his instrument by the tuning peg from the main spoke of the toono (roof-frame), causing the head of the instrument to protrude slightly; this serves as a signal to all those who have arrived late at the celebration that the three dugaraa have finished, and the late arrivals must be served a quantity of airag equivalent to that already served to the other guests.
5. Song (three tu'rleg). Following the three magnain duu various other urtiin duu may be performed, such as "Cevtsger xurdan sharga", "Xeer xaltar", "Ar xuvch", "Alia saaral", "Altan bogdyn shil", "Bor boryn byalzuuxai" or "Seru'u'n saixan xangai". The head of the celebration has the right to demand anyone present, regardless of who they might be, to perform a song. If anyone thus asked to sing is truly unable to produce a song, he is punished by being forced to stand with a penalty bowl of airag in his one hand and a string of 108 prayer beads (erx) in the other, then caused to learn a special song with the lyrics "I didn't know a song / One hundred and eight zee [the opening call of the urtiin duu]", which he must repeat 108 times, according to the count of the prayer beads. In earlier times there was also a custom of rewarding the best singers at major festivities with a horse, fully equipped with saddle and bridle.
6. Dagnaa. Drinking of airag out of a great xul, or large-capacity wooden bowl.
7. Break (gadaalax). During this period guests are permitted to leave the yurt, smoke, and talk freely amongst themselves.
8. Baga tushaan dugaraa. Three rounds of airag are consumed from small bowls.
9. Song. Two singers perform three tu'rleg.
10. Solbio dagnaa. A large and small bowl of airag are served to the guests seated at the extreme rear and front of each side of the yurt, beginning with the east side; these bowls are then passed in opposite directions from guest to guest, each of whom drinks from the bowl; when the two bowls cross each other, the person who has received both of them drinks from either hand.
11. Rest. Guests are free to rest or briefly wander off during the interval.
12. Final song. The final song of the festivity is sung either before or after the closing blessing. Typically this song is either "Zhargalantai delger (O'vgo'n shuvuu)" or "Enx mendiin bayar".
13. Closing words of blessing (so'ngiin yero'o'l). Auspicious words are spoken to bring a formal end to the celebration. When the end of the celebration is approaching the head of the host family holds a long blue xadag and a bowl full of airag and invites one of the participants skilled in the recitation of poetry to pronounce a blessing, which is selected as appropriate to the type of the celebration. In some cases the blessing (yero'o'l) is spoken at the beginning of the festivity, or before the final song.
14. Common round (niitiin dugaraa).
All participants in the celebration drink freely, and eventually take their leave.
Taboos
It is forbidden for participants in the festivity to speak privately amongst themselves, to unbutton their collars, to remove their hats, or otherwise give a sign of disrespect.
Moreover the servers of airag (ayagachin) must not allow their fingers to dip into the bowl of airag, or to spill any of the drink, and the su'nchin must not leave the serving ladle empty, allow it to leave his hand, or leave the sun in the hands of anyone else without the authorization of the director of the celebration. If any of these taboos is broken the offender is punished by being forced to consume a large or small bowl full of airag; the person being punished must rise and remain standing until he has finished the drink.
If any man is perceived not participating in the tu'rleg the head of the celebration issues a penalty known as a shog, by which the offending guest is caused to drink an entire bowl of airag, and reprimanded with the words "ta tu'rzh nairlaarai—please celebrate and contribute to the tu'rleg".
Notes
[1] The term nair, denoting the traditional festive celebration, signifies “harmony”, and further constitutes the root of such terms as nairag (composition, e.g., yaruu nairag – poetry), nairamdal (friendship), nairuu (having a friendly character), and nairuulax (to mix or compose). The xurim, signifying "gathering" (as in xurimtlax, "to gather"), is a formal celebration, generally associated with a specific ritual such as marriage (gerlexiin xurim), the birth of a child (xu'u'xdiin xurim), the construction of a new home (geriin xurim), or a funeral (no'gco'nii xurim).