In the childhood, a child’s hair is necessarily for a cut. Mongolians count the age of a man from the moment when he or she was created in the womb, boy cut hair at three or five years old, girl cut hair at two or four years old. Mongolians believe that baby is divine from the birth until 5 years old. The haircutting ceremony is for the sense of a child has fully found the human being. In order for there is a belief that if children do not cut their hair will have misbehavior in them and gets angry because through their divine pure hair all the bad of evil connects and interrupts, so for the protection we do the haircutting ceremony for children.
One of the ancient Mongolian traditions is the ” Haircutting Ceremony for Children “. The tradition of haircutting ceremony for children is a little different in some regions. In some ethnic groups, fathers, grandfathers of a child or the oldest person who participates in the ceremony starts to cut child’s hair with a knife or scissors. In another ethnic group, the midwife starts cutting the child’s hair.
The Mongols had a tradition of honoring and respecting their child’s first hair for a long time and still nowadays we keep this tradition.
On the celebration day, all of the family members, relative, and friends will be invited for respecting the child, most importantly the person who has compatible year with a child will be the honor guest at the ceremony.
Before touching the hair, wipe the scissors with juniper for censing. Then the first cut will be made by a person with compatible year with a child, a piece of hair from the forehead by special scissors wrapped it in khadag. Then braid a child’s cut hair with camel wool thread and leather cords. After that, everyone cuts their hair by the clockwise and wrap it to khadag, then give a gift to the child with warm and cheerful words. In the old times it used to be given a white sheep or lamb is given to the child as a gift. Today, it is mostly toys, pencils, badges, candy cakes and money as a present. Because it is considered to be a person’s good day.
When children’s haircutting ceremony is done, child left some of the hair wait for those who have not visited at the ceremony for later.