Tsaagan Tsar - The White Month cont.

The first family we stayed with had 3 sons, the oldest 11 years old, the youngest about 5. They were absolutely terrific. It is the oldest son's job during Tsaagan Tsar to serve the guests; thus we sat around chatting, and he would from time to time offer us a bowl of sweets from the table, or bring another full glass of "suutei tei" (milky tea), or the fermented fruit juice that his mum had prepared.

It was really tasty - just fruit, sugar and water, left covered over until it went "off" and turned slightly alcoholic. This was what the children drank while the adults drank vodka. The children calmly helped themselves while we blethered .... What a laugh.

This is a photo of the eldest son on a camel, rounding up their horses at the end of the day.