1. Clothing
The deel is the Mongol`s traditional
garment worn on both workdays and special days. It is a long loose gown cut in
one piece with the sleeves it has a high collar and widely overlap at the
front. The deel is girdled with a sash. Each ethnic group living in Mongolia
has its own deel distinguished by cut, color and trimming. The distinctions go
unnoticed by foreigner, yet for the Mongols they are obvious. Before the
revolution, all social strata in Mongolia had their own manner of dressing.
Livestock breeders, for example, wore plain deels, which served them both
summer and winter. The priests wore yellow deels with a cape orkhimj, thrown
over it. Secular feudeal lords put on smart hats and silk waistcoat. Today,
towns people tend to wear European-style clothes. In the countryside, however,
the modern attire is inconvenient and impractical. The deel has several uses-as
a coat, as a blanket, and as means of concealing yourself when going to the
toilet on the open steppe. In the cities, as people start aging, especially the
women, begin to appreciate the advantages of the deel and wear it, trying to
excel each other in the choice of fabric, as well as in the elegance of the cut
and originality of the trimmings. Commonly there are three varieties of deel,
each for a particular season. The first, the dan deel is very much like a
dress, a frock cut in one piece from plain cloth without padding. Rural women
wear dan deel all year around. In cold weather they put on warm clothes over
them. Terleg is a slightly padded deel. And finally the winter deel is padded
with sheepskin or cotton wool. Deel for men and women are of the same cut. The
difference is that male deels are wider and of more demure colors. The pattern
is simple enough. The sleeves are cut together with the gown and there are only
a few minor details. More over the tailor does not have to worry about the
precise length and width. Measurements are usually made using the hand rather
than a tape measure. They “ too” is the distance between the thumb and the middle
finger, the “soom” the distance between thumb and the forefinger and the
“khuruu” the of the forefinger. The deel for everyday wear is grey, brown or
some other dark color, while the holiday deel is a bright blue,green or claret
silk with a silk sash of contrasting color several meters long. The sash is not
simply an adornment. It also serves as a soft corset facilitating long rides on
horseback. In days gone by, men would attach a sheathed knife, a tobacco pouch,
a flint and a pipe-cleaning hook to the belt. Characteristically, the Mongol
always hid his pipe in his boots. The deel collar, breasts and sleeves are
trimmed with leather and color brocade tape, which can be wide or narrow
depending on the wearer’s taste. The deel buttons, if they are not commercially
produced from decorative stones or silver, are narrow strips of cloth tied into
intricate knots. Traditional deels are normally seen now only at concerts or
official occasions. In addition to the deel is the jacket known as a khurim. In
cold weather it is put on over the deel. The gutal is the high boot made from
unbending leather and lined with fine and felt. They are decorated with
different designs. Both the left and right are traditionally the same shape and
were worn with thick socks made from quilted cloth. Traditional boots are
without heels and have turned up toes. Mongolian hats are still very much the
normal attire in the countryside. The traditional hat is a hat for all seasons
trimmed with fur, fox fur most cases. The sides of the hat can be tied down to
keep the ears warm or tied on top in the warmer periods. The hats are worn by
both men and by women, in the past, headgear was worn to show social status.
The design is also symbolic. The pointed top of the hat represents Mount
Sumber, the legendary land of the Mongol forefathers. The khot on the top
represents the unity of the nation. Red ribbons are the sun’s rays and the
broad brim represents the country’s inaccessibility. Because of the different
ethinc groups in Mongolia, there are distinctions in the way they all dress.
Therefore it is estimated that between them all, there are about 400 different
types of garments, 20 boots, 10 sashes and 20 types of hats.
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