Mongolian tradition of honoring Yuan hero Genghis persists
- Source: Global Times
- [04:13 April 25 2011]
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People celebrate at the annual memorial rite. Photo: Xinhua
Tens of thousands of people from home and abroad flocked to the mausoleum of Genghis Khan on Saturday to honor the Mongolian hero, as experts called for better preservation of this century-old custom.
About 50,000 people, including local Mongolian ethnic groups and visitors from neighboring Mongolia, attended the annual memorial rite, said Qolubagatur, who presided over the memorial ceremony. '
"It's the 784th year that we have held the sacrificial rite to our master, and the 'holy light' of the mausoleum has never gone out under the guard of our Dalhut families," said Qolubagatur. The Dalhut people are a branch of Mongolians who are tasked with guarding the mausoleum.
Hude, a 34-year-old engineer, said he carried on his family duty to attend after his aged parents could no longer make the journey.
"It has been a tradition that we have held for generations," said Hude, after presenting his hada, a traditional white scarf, to the white jade statue of Genghis Khan.
To Hude and others from the Mongolian ethnic group, Khan was a hero who united the grassland region and founded the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. His grandson, Kublai Khan, established the Yuan Dynasty that ruled China from 1271 to 1368.
After the death of Genghis Khan, Mongolians placed his clothes, personal items and a piece of camel hair that was believed to have preserved his soul in the mausoleum in the Ordos Highlands in what is now the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The real resting place of Khan's body, however, remains unknown, as ancient Mongolians followed a custom of not marking their tombs.
For nearly 800 years, as many as 60 sacrificial rites have been held annually, with the spring ceremony being the grandest and most important.
This practice, however, is now facing a succession crisis, as younger Mongolians show less enthusiasm for sacrificial culture, said Naqige, deputy head of the Mausoleum Protection Committee.
"Of the 16 Dalhut clans, eight have dropped the duty of guarding the mausoleum. Some descendants refused to follow the time-honored practice and chose other careers," observed Naqige.
To step up protection of Mongolian culture, China listed the memorial rites as part of their "intangible cultural heritage" program, meaning they have been under state protection since 2005. Now, those who guard the mausoleum are entitled to the same salary and benefits as a government worker.
Naqige and many other experts are also campaigning for UNESCO to list the practice as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
"For hundreds of years, the Dalhut people fought against all odds to protect the mausoleum and preserve the culture," said Qimeddorji, professor of Mongolian studies at Inner Mongolia University.
"That's why the mausoleum is so sacred to the Mongolians."
Xinhua
