Nine Nines of Winter
While reference books speak of a six-month long winter with temperatures falling below - 30oC in January and February, and Ulaanbaatar city being the coldest capital of the world, Mongols know all the better. According to ancient knowledge, winter in Mongolia actually lasts 81 days, or Nine Nines as they are known. The signs of the Nine Nines are familiar to everyone, starting with the maiden day of winter or the first moon of mid-November, 81 days before the Lunar New Year which brings in the first day of spring.
While reference books speak of a six-month long winter with temperatures falling below - 30oC in January and February, and Ulaanbaatar city being the coldest capital of the world, Mongols know all the better. According to ancient knowledge, winter in Mongolia actually lasts 81 days, or Nine Nines as they are known. The signs of the Nine Nines are familiar to everyone, starting with the maiden day of winter or the first moon of mid-November, 81 days before the Lunar New Year which brings in the first day of spring.
First nine - shimijn arkhi (mild alcoholic beverage made of milk) congeals
Second nine - arkhi (vodka) congeals
Third nine - tail of three-year-old ox freezes
Fourth nine - horns of four-year-old ox freeze
Fifth nine - boiled rice does not congeal any more
Sixth nine - roads blacken
Seventh nine - hilltops blacken
Eighth nine - ground becomes damp
Eighth nine - ground becomes damp
Ninth nine - warm days set in
