New Year's Day Sun Train, Mongolia

Mongolians celebrate the first sunrise of 2010 in the countryside just beyond Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. Hangai, Mongolia. 01/01/2010.

Mongolians gathered in Hangai soum outside of Ulaanbaatar to celebrate the first sun rise of the year. Many traveled to the site by train, arriving at the train station at 5:30 AM to make the two hour journey to the site. Despite the early hour, the mood was jovial on the train, and people sang, played the harmonica, and listened to a lecture on the sun en route. At the celebration site, people lit bonfires and raised the Mongolian flag just before the sun rose. As the sun edged over the horizon, many Mongolians threw milk offerings into the air, while others shouted excitedly, welcoming the new decade. Before getting back on the train to return to the city, some revelers circled clockwise around the bonfire, mirroring a Mongolian Buddhist ritual of circling stone cairns for good luck during travel. This year's Sun Train celebration was the 10th year of the event.