See and Hear How Lunar New Year is Celebrated Across the U.S.

"As the sun rises on the morning of Tsagaan Sar, Lkhagva Tundev who goes by Lucky leaves his Los Angeles home to perform rituals of gratitude and protection for his family. Twelve years after the 1990 dissolution of Soviet rule in Mongolia, Tundev immigrated with his wife, Altmaa Dorj, and their two daughters, Nyamjargal (nicknamed Nimi) and Bayarmaa (nicknamed Bimi), to California, which is home to the country's largest population of Mongolians."

"Dorj was born in 1966, the last time there was a year of the fire horse. To celebrate her birthday and the completion of the Mongolian zodiac's 60-year cycle, her family invited about 22 friends and community members to formally greet one another, exchange tobacco snuff bottles, play horse-inspired games and sing traditional songs with the morin khuur, a horse-head-shaped fiddle that is Mongolia's national instrument."

"Tundev, 67, remembered the decades when Mongolian culture was severely restricted under the Soviets, and, he said, it was verboten to even mention Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan). In America, Nimi, 33, and Bimi, 31, have both found ways to revive Mongolian traditions by weaving them into their creative pursuits. As a filmmaker, Nimi bridges Mongolian and American industries, often traveling between the two countries to tell rarely represented stories. As a D.J., Bimi incorporates traditional Mongolian instruments and songs into techno beats."

On the morning of Tsagaan Sar, Lkhagva Tundev performs rituals of gratitude and protection for his family. He immigrated to California twelve years after Mongolia's 1990 Soviet-era dissolution and joined a community that represents the largest Mongolian population in the United States. Tsagaan Sar celebrations bring families together to honor ancestors and the earth and feature elaborate meals including towers of milk curds, mutton, fermented horse milk and 1,000 dumplings. Altmaa Dorj marked her 1966 birth year and the Mongolian zodiac's 60-year cycle with about 22 guests, traditional greetings, tobacco snuff exchanges, horse-inspired games and morin khuur songs. Daughters Nyamjargal and Bayarmaa revive Mongolian traditions through filmmaking and DJing that blend traditional instruments and songs with contemporary forms.

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