Western Mongolia Costumes

Mongolians wear clothing that reflects their love of the grasslands, while also protecting them from the elements. Snug hats and sleeveless padded jackets, called khaantaz, are essential. Pants are tucked into sturdy leather boots with upturned toes to retain warmth.

Both genders wear wide, calf-length gowns with buttons down their right sides, called deel. Deels are robes that are long, wide sleeves and high collars. A matching belt around the waist serves for both form and function—the wearer looks stylish while gaining valuable back support during long horse rides. The hems, sleeve openings, and collars are often decorated. Color choices differ in men and women. Men prefer blue and brown while women prefer a wider range of red, pink, green and sky blue. Deel protects perfectly against cold and winds. If necessary, it’s long sleeves are rolled down to serve as gloves. Wide sash, made of several meters long textile, serves as a corset protecting against severe shaking during a fast horse ride. It also serves as a hanger to which a knife, firestone, cup and other accessories can be attached. It also has a pocket above the sash, which is ideal for keeping small items. In the nomadic culture, special attention is given to the quality of clothes and its tidiness since a missing button, undone seam or loose knot could have cost one's life during a sudden snow storm or fast horse ride.

Red laces combined with softly shining pearls and silver jewelry were used to attract attention of passing man, while long deel tightly tied on waist, stressed the slender waist.

For our dance performance, we

However, for our own dance performance, we used skirts to accentuate the movement of our spins. Hats that were decorated and braid buns with long earring that accentuate our