Haircut ceremony of Xinjiang Mongolians

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The grand hair-cutting ceremony is one of the most important ceremoniesf the Mongolian ethnic groupin Xinjiang in their life. According to the traditions of the Mongolian, the baby will not be shaved off his lanugo until he/she grows up to 3 or 5 years old. this ceremony is usually held by the wife’s family and will invite relatives and friends to come Before the ceremony the baby who is going to be shaved will hold a plate with scissors, hada(a piece of silk used as a greeting gift among the Zang and Mongol ethnic groups), wheat, red dates, money, dry fruit and milk in it in front of his her uncle or the one whose zodiac has no restriction on his/her own and ask him to cut hair for him/her.

If it is a boy the hair-cutting will start from the right side of the head and if it’s a girl, it will start from the left side. The uncle will put the hair in the plate and put hada on the hair, cutting in turn for the baby and say blessing words to him/her Everyone extending his congratulation to the baby. After that, the relatives will do ha promises to send the baby horses, cattle or sheep as presents. the cut hair shall not be thrown away randomly but be wrapped in the hada and put onto high places or the top of a hill. After the hair-cutting, the parents will slaughter the sheep to entertain the guests and people will toast each other.

After the hair-cutting ceremony the child is allowed to play with other children near the yurts, herding lambs and calves to practice making a living Then when the father brings his child to visit the relatives who have attended the hair-cutting ceremony the relatives will bestow livestock they committed on the child. The bestowing of livestock means that the child has got his/her own means of production and he is admitted by the society and become a member of it