The traditional Mongolian wedding ceremony

has slowly changed over time. Still the

Mongolian people are trying to keep the
traditional wedding rituals while also caring
about the younger generations interests by
mixing modern wedding notions with
traditional ones.

Most Mongolian people care about the inlaws family roots. Mongolian people say that
the future son-in-laws father should accept
their daughter and the future daughter-inlaws mother should accept their son. This
saying means that the son-in-law will treat
his future wife like how his father treated his
wife, and that the daughter-in-law will treat
her future husband like her mother treated
her husband.

Mongolian Engagement

When the Mongolian couple agrees to marry

one another and they then explain their
engagements to the grooms parents. The
grooms parent wishes good luck for their
sons future life and plans the ceremony with
the brides parents to discuss the proposal.
At the engagement ceremony the grooms
father brings a hadag (a specially made
band of silk) and a silver bowl-like cup filled
with milk, this means that he welcomes his
daughter-in-law. He says that the couple
loves each other and we love your daughter,
your daughter will marry my son, we will
treat your daughter like our own daughter
and he then gives the hadag and silver bowllike cup with milk to the brides father. If the

brides father accepts the bowl-like cup then

the brides parents will later on start to plan
an engagement ceremony.
When the brides family accepts the
engagement, it means they accept the groom
as their own son.

Mongolian wedding ring symbols

The grooms wedding ring has two crowns

that intersect with one another, this
resembles the souls of both the bride and
groom being conjoined together forever in
true love. His ring shape is round like the
Mongolian ger (yurt) which has a round
crown, this is called a toono. This means the
husband resembles the house roof that will
act as protection of his wife and family. Her

ring crown is in the shape of a diamond, also

similar to the shape of the Mongolian ger
(yurt) bagana and this is supposed to
represent the post that holds up the ger. This
means the wife is the center support of the
family, like holding up a roof. On each ring
theres four connected dots on the outside of
the crown shape. The two crown shapes that
are crossing and interconnected means the
couple will be together forever in soul and
life.

Mongolian wedding ceremony.

Each Mongolian aimag (state) has customs
that are a little different when it comes to
Mongolian wedding ceremonies. The bride
and groom choose their wedding witnesses,
they traditionally choose a sister-in-law. In
Mongolian families the daughter in law is like

their own daughter so sister in laws are the

same as sisters.
At the wedding ceremony Mongolian people
wear long sleeved clothing that cover their
shoulders; the long sleeves and covered
shoulders represent a good and complete life
for the couple.
The Mongolian Wedding Palace is where most
people celebrate their wedding. The Bride
and groom stand arm in arm, with them they
will have two witnesses (who are usually the
sister-in-laws) standing in front of the official.
The official will ask the couple if they will
marry one another. The bride and groom will
answer Yes, after that they will sign their
wedding documents and the wedding official
will have witnessed that they signed the
document as well. They place the rings on
after the wedding official pronounces them
husband and wife

Mongolian wedding gifts

The gifts received are very important for the

newly weds and their start of a new life. The
gifts of the newlyweds parents help aid their
future life. The husbands family gives a ger
(yurt) and some animals. The wifes family
gives a full kitchen set, they also give clothes
and jewelry. These gifts allow them to have a
roof and a beginning to life.
Friends and relatives usually give money or
other gifts.
In modern times the parents gifts are
different but most herders still give a ger and
animals.