Originally, shamanism and an animistic folk religion were practiced in Mongolia without religious specialists such as monks or healers. They bear witness to the connection between the nomads and nature because the Mongolian folk religion is based on nature worship, knowing that treating nature with respect protects them from harm. One worships the nature deities and spirits in the hope of being protected by them in return. In popular belief, the world of this world only exists in mutual dependence with the world of spirits. In the form of songs, prayers, and stories, this belief has been passed down through the centuries. This also includes small everyday rituals such as the offering of drinks and ceremonial offerings or homage to special occasions.
Shamanic Ritual
The supreme deity and father figure is the Eternal Heaven, the Munkh Tenger, which faces Mother Earth. Both were originally united with each other and when they were separated, the fire arose. Many different mountains and other nature deities are also worshiped, which can also be appeased by ceremonies and cult acts in order to get the favor of the gods and spirits. For example, so-called ovoos can be seen all over the country on arterial roads, passes, and on mountains, trees, rivers, lakes, and springs. These cairns are considered sacred sites and abodes of local deities and spirits. Each traveler circumnavigates it three times clockwise before continuing, collecting three stones and placing them together with different ones
Offerings on the Ovoo. The drink offerings also have a long tradition. Every morning, the traditional Mongolian squirts part of the first brewed milk tea into the sky with a spoon, asking the gods for goodwill. Before guests drink vodka together, the Mongolian host snaps his finger in the direction of heaven and earth or in the four cardinal points.
Shamanic belief in spirits
Shamanism is the oldest practiced religion in Mongolia. The shamanistic worldview also originally consisted of a world on one side and an opposite world on the other side. There are no beliefs, institutions, or a ruling god, but a belief in spirits and the notion that there are different worlds inhabited by spirits and evil demons. In the shamanistic worldview, a spirit with certain properties can also live in things and living beings. The totality of all these spirits is connected to one another in complex ways. The focus of shamanism is the shaman, the term came via Russian from the Tungusic word shaman. Shamans can be both female and male and act as mediators between the worlds. They have the ability to recognize and influence the connections between the different worlds. The shaman is the only one who can travel to different worlds with power and spirit and establish a connection between people, nature, spirits, and demons in order to gather spiritual powers and solve everyday problems. He is responsible for the well-being of a community, he acts as a doctor, physiotherapist, diviner, priest, and politician in one person. Many shamans today have normal jobs and can be car mechanics, nomads, or secretaries. If they are asked for help as a shaman, they rush to the spot.
The shaman as healer
In shamanistic belief, man has a soul as long as he lives. If he falls ill, his soul is lost, stolen, or under the influence of hostile spirits. The work of the shaman in this case is to enter a state of trance at will and intend to travel to the dimension of the spirit world. So that when he returns from there he can bring back the lost soul of the sick person. This cannot be done without negotiating with, placating, or fighting with the spirits. For the shaman, this is an exhausting affair. When people die in a yurt, the body is not carried out through the door but is brought outside under the yurt’s scissor gates. The women are pushed through on the men’s side, the men on the women’s side. This is to make it clear to the soul that there is no coming back and that the door of the yurt will remain closed forever.
When shamanizing, the shaman has a personal guardian spirit and various helping spirits at his disposal. There are different methods to strengthen the effect of the incantations in the rituals and to build up protection for oneself and others. These include burning incense, beating certain rhythms on special drums, dancing, singing, and meditation. Various utensils are also used, such as a shaman’s stick, a mirror, and a piece of clothing designed according to strict rules.
