The birthday congratulation banquet is one of the traditional festivity banquets for the Mongolian ethnic group.There is a banquet held right on a baby's one-year-old birthday congratulation.After that,however,all banquets and other celebration activities,concerning one's birthday congratulation as well as one's year of fate,are held on the first day of the first lunar month,along with the Spring Festival.According to Mongolian conventions,there are no banquets celebrating one's 13th,25th,37th and 49th years of fate.Though they are considered a little more important than usual birthday congratulations,there will be no more celebration than receiving presents from relatives.On the contrary,when it comes to the 61st,73rd and 85th animal years of the aged,their offspring have to select an auspicious day,and send invitations beforehand to relatives,friends as well as neighbors before finally holding the birthday congratulation ceremony.However,it should be noted that in several places,there are celebrations on one's 60th,70th,80th and 90th birthday congratulations,which are almost identical with ceremonies of one's animal year in terms of both the content and form.
There are procedures to follow the prescribed order at birthday congratulation banquets of the Mongolian people.Invitations should be sent to whoever expected to come.At the grand and solemn banquets,there are special rules for presenting gifts.Besides,ritual participants should be decently dressed,pious and respectful.Moreover,there is a small-sized Nadam Festival consisting of horse race,wrestling and horse-catching performance.The aged then awards the prize while presenting a blessing hada(a long piece of silk scarf)to the winner.Sometimes,the celebration in forms of singing and dancing may last a whole night.Not until the appearance of rosy cloud at dawn do people return home in breeze.It is by then that the banquet comes to an end,turning out a complete success.