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Mongolian Clothing
The del is the Mongol's traditional garment worn on both work days and special days. It is a long, loose gown cut in one piece with the sleeves; it has a high collar and widely overlaps at the front. The del is girdles with a sash.
Each ethnic group living in mongolia has its own del distinguished by cut, colour and trimming. The distinctions go unnoticed by foreigners, 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 dels, which served them both summer and winter. The priests wore yellow dels with a cape or khimj, thrown over it. Secular feudal lords put on smart hats and silk waistcoats.
Today, townspeople tend to wear European style cloathes. In the countryside, however, the modern attire is inconvenient and impractical. The del has several uses - as 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 del to 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 del, each for a particular season. The first, the dan del, is very much like a dress, a frock cut in one piece from plain cloth without padding. Rural women wear dan dels all year round. In cold weather they put on warm clothes over them. Terleg is a slightly padded del. And finally the winter del is padded with sheepskin or cotton wool.
Dels for men and women are of the same cut. The difference is that the male dels are wider and of more demure colours. The pattern is simple enough. The sleeves are cut together with the gown and there are only a few minor details.
Moreover 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. The 'too' is the distance between the thumb and the forefinger and the 'khuruu' the length of the forefinger.
The del for everyday wear is grey, brown or some other dark colour, while the holiday del is a bright blue, green or claret silk with a silk sash of contrasting colour several metres 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 pipe-cleaning hook to the belt. Characteristically, the Mongol always hid his pipe in his boots.
The del collar, breasts and sleeves are trimmed with leather and collar brocade tape, which can be wide or narrow depending on the wearer's taste. The del buttons, if they are not commercially produced from decorative stones or silver, are narrow strips of cloth tied into intricate knots.
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Travel Summary Bytes
Transportation
Mongolia is a landlocked country whose neighbours have developed transport iinfrastructure and facilities that are adequate to handle Mongolia's transit needs. A tripartite meeting among the representatives of Foreign Trade and Foreign Ministries of Mongolia, Russia and China held in Ulaanbaatar in May 2000 has agreed in principle that the three countries would sign an agreement on transit traffic.
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