The Mongols are very hospitable natured people.
One should expect that the
head of the ger or yurt (house)
will make sure to make the stay of a stranger as comfortable as possible. He
offers milk tea, mutton, and wine. The whole family would get involved in
conversation by asking detailed questions. When leaving the host family, a
common occurrence is the guest to be accompanied for quite a distance until the
host would explain the rest of the directions. This culture, much like that
found in all of China, is very relationship based and should be treated with
the respect that nomadic hosts offer.
Family life
is also very important for this nomadic colony. After sons marry, they will
move out of the family home but will most commonly live very near. Some
families would live together with the parents and the sons or daughters-in-law.
The inner Mongolian culture is very masculine based, but the husband would commonly
consult the wife on important life decisions.
Recently there has been an interesting custom
where the bride would give a “denying entrance on marrying.” This is where the
bride’s family would slam the door in the grooms face repeatedly before
granting acceptance into the family. This would be followed by family
traditions at the wedding itself, which would end with the bride riding away
from her home on horseback around her home three times and then would ride off
into the direction of the bride-groom’s home where she would have the door
slammed in her a few times before entering.
It is imperative to know the importance the
people of Inner Mongolia put on family. Sometimes this hospitality is such that
westerners may not be used to. One should allow time to get to know the host
family to make the stay as seamless as possible.
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