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Quan ho Bac Ninh performance at Llim festival

A group of men and women in traditional Bhutanese costume are singing a folk song.

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Quan ho Bac Ninh perfomance at Lim hill

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Quan ho Bac Ninh singing on boat

Mongol Tuuli is an oral tradition comprising heroic epics that run from hundreds to thousands of lines and combine benedictions, eulogies, spells, idiomatic phrases, fairy tales, myths and folk songs. They are regarded as a living encyclopedia of Mongolian oral traditions and immortalize the heroic history of the Mongols. Epic performers are distinguished by their prodigious memory and skills, combining singing, vocal improvisation and musical composition coupled with theatrical elements. Epic lyrics are performed to musical accompaniment on instruments such as morin khuur and tovshuur. Epics are performed during social and public events, including state affairs, weddings, a child’s first haircut, naadam and worship of sacred sites. Epics evolved over many centuries, and reflect nomadic lifestyles, social behaviors, religion, mentalities and imagination. Epic performers cultivate epic traditions from generation to generation, learning, performing and transmitting techniques within kinship circles, from fathers to sons.

Mongols have traditionally shown a great respect for the horse, honoring it in their national standards and symbols (flags and emblems) and in their folk songs. Morin khuur clearly belongs to this symbolic tradition. Morin khuur, so named for the ornamental horse-head carving at the top of its neck, is a unique two-stringed musical instrument developed by the nomadic Mongols. The strings of both the bow and fiddle are made from the hair of a horse’s tail. Most significantly, there is a tradition of playing the morin khuur at all ritual and ceremonial events. No discussion of the morin khuur would be complete without having considered the folk ‘long song’, for which it provides the principal accompaniment. Besides Bii Biylgee and folk long song, many other folk artistic forms such as Ülger (tales), Tuuli (epic), Yörööl (benediction), Magtaal (ode) and others can always be performed with morin khuur..

Lullaby is a unique and independent form of traditional folk song, which reflects the traditional knowledge and wisdom for bringing up the children, relationship between mother and child, and various practices and manners of Mongols. Lullaby is a song with specific meanings and independent melody, poetic system as well as character and description dedicated for calming and pacifying the baby. Its lyrics encompass meaning of convincing and fondling the baby and detailing his/her lineage. The tradition of Lullaby has transmitted in 2 different names as “Song of Cradle” and “Cradle-Song” or Lullaby. The Lullaby does not have a specific narratives, it is more dedicated melodies that lull a child for calm down. There are various different lullaby are sung by mothers depending on their emotion, instinct, range of throat and way of singing.