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Type: Article

Kalmykia Declares Tsagan Sar a Public Holiday for 2026

The national Kalmyk Buddhist New Year holiday Tsagan Sar, which falls on 18 February 2026 according to the lunar calendar, has been officially designated a non-working public holiday in the Republic of Kalmykia.

The decision, confirmed by decree of the Head of the Republic, gives residents an extra day off to observe traditional rituals, family gatherings and Buddhist ceremonies.

Posted on February 09, 2026 at 06:28 AM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Elista and Kyzyl Coordinate Preparations for Buddhist Forum in Tuva

Representatives from Elista (Kalmykia) and Kyzyl (Republic of Tuva) held discussions on organisational experience and logistics for the upcoming IV International Buddhist Forum to be hosted in Tuva.

The talks highlight ongoing inter-regional cooperation among Russia’s Buddhist republics in preserving and promoting Buddhist culture.

Posted on February 09, 2026 at 06:27 AM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Prominent Tibetan Scholar Delivers Lecture Series in Kalmykia

The revered Geshe Lharamba Jagba Gyatso arrived in Kalmykia in early February 2026 to conduct a cycle of teachings and lectures for local Buddhists and students.

His visit strengthens spiritual ties between Kalmyk sangha and Tibetan Buddhist scholarship.

Posted on February 09, 2026 at 06:25 AM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Elista Khurul Prepares for Tsagan Sar Celebrations

The main Buddhist temple in Elista – the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni – is undergoing special decoration and preparations ahead of the Tsagan Sar festival.

Local authorities and monks are transforming the khurul to welcome worshippers for prayers, rituals and the traditional greeting of the White Month.

Posted on February 09, 2026 at 06:21 AM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Kalmyk Athlete Wins Silver at European Karate Championship

Young Kalmyk athlete Altan Basangova took silver in the junior U21 category at the European Karate Championships, bringing pride to the republic.

Posted on February 09, 2026 at 06:16 AM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

The Dalai Lama's Grammy Victory

On February 1, 2026, at the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, won his first-ever Grammy at the age of 90. The award was for Best Audiobook, Narration & Storytelling Recording for the project "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama." The spoken-word album features his teachings on compassion, harmony, peace, mindfulness, and universal responsibility, accompanied by Hindustani classical music and contributions from artists including Amjad Ali Khan, Maggie Rogers, and Rufus Wainwright (who accepted the trophy on his behalf in some reports). The Dalai Lama described the honor not as personal but as recognition of our shared human responsibility: "I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility... I truly believe that peace, compassion, care for our environment, and an understanding of the oneness of humanity are essential for the collective well-being of all eight billion human beings."

This global accolade comes as the Dalai Lama continues his lifelong mission to promote kindness across cultures - a mission deeply rooted in his historic and ongoing spiritual alliance with the Mongol peoples, including the Kalmyks of Russia, Europe's only indigenous Buddhist and Mongolic community.

The connection between the Dalai Lama institution and the Mongols began in the 16th century. In 1578, Altan Khan of the Tümed Mongols invited Sonam Gyatso (retroactively recognized as the 3rd Dalai Lama) to Mongolia. The khan bestowed the title "Dalai Lama" (Ocean of Wisdom) upon him, establishing the lineage that continues today. The 4th Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589-1617), was himself born into a Mongol family - a grandson of Altan Khan - marking the first time the incarnation appeared outside Tibet.

The alliance became military and political in the 17th century when the Khoshut Mongol leader Güshi Khan supported the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, helping to unify Tibet under Gelugpa rule. These ties extended to the Oirat Mongols - the western branch from which the Kalmyks descend. When Oirat groups migrated westward in the early 1600s to the Volga steppes (forming the Kalmyk Khanate), they carried Gelug Buddhism with them and maintained close contact with the Dalai Lamas in Tibet. Ayuka Khan (r. 1672-1724) of the Kalmyks regularly sought blessings and guidance from the Dalai Lama, and the 1640 Great Code of the Nomads reinforced Gelugpa principles.

In modern times, the 14th Dalai Lama has personally strengthened these bonds. He made landmark visits to Kalmykia in 1991 (his first trip to the Russian Buddhist republics after perestroika) and again in 1992, where he was greeted by thousands of Kalmyks in traditional dress. A further visit occurred in the early 2000s (with visa challenges thereafter due to Russian-Chinese relations). Kalmyks continue to regard him as their supreme spiritual leader. In December 2025, he granted an audience to Khenpo Tenzin Chödrak, head of the Kalmyk Buddhist community, reaffirming these enduring ties.

Today, the Kalmyks - descendants of the Oirats who preserved Tibetan Buddhism far from its Himalayan homeland - see the Dalai Lama's Grammy win as a beautiful extension of his message of universal compassion, the same message that has sustained their faith for over four centuries. As His Holiness often says, warm-heartedness is the most precious human quality - a teaching that now echoes not only across the steppes but across the world's music stages.

Posted on February 07, 2026 at 03:45 PM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

2026 Tsagaan Dance, kicking off the 75th Anniversary of Kalmyks in the United States
Source: Tsagaan Dance - March 14, 2026 - Design created by Alex Kalatschinow

The 2026 Tsagaan Dance, for the year of the Fire Horse, will be kicking off the 75th anniversary of Kalmyks in the United States, a special cultural event organized by the Kalmyk American Culture and Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity (website: kalmyksrus.org). This fundraiser aims to cover costs for the inaugural celebration marking 75 years since Kalmyks first settled in the United States, kicking off a series of major commemorative activities planned throughout 2026.

The centerpiece event is a community-wide Tsagaan Sar (White Month) celebration - the traditional Kalmyk and Mongolian lunar New Year festival symbolizing the arrival of spring, purity, renewal, and the awakening of nature. Scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT at Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein (9130 Academy Road, Philadelphia, PA 19114), the evening falls in the Year of the Fire Horse according to the lunar calendar. It welcomes all Kalmyks, friends, and supporters to join in honoring this milestone of Kalmyk diaspora history.

Attendees can expect a festive program featuring a dinner buffet (including wine, draft beer, soda, juice, coffee, tea, and dessert), a cash bar for additional liquor (no BYOB; ID required), free on-site parking, and live entertainment centered around Tsagaan Dance - a joyful, traditional performance tied to Tsagaan Sar customs. A free round-trip charter bus is available from New York City (pickup at 4:30 PM from McKinley Soccer Field, Bay Ridge Parkway & Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11228), with seating reserved for those purchasing Tsagaan tickets and indicating the option on the registration form.

Ticket pricing reflects the event's scale and charitable focus:

- Online purchase: Adult $100, Child (12 and under) $20

- At the door: Adult $200, Child (12 and under) $40

- Free admission for adults aged 80 and over

You can Donate or buy tickets here:givebutter.com/tsagaandance

All proceeds from ticket sales and additional donations go directly toward the 75th anniversary celebrations, helping preserve and promote Kalmyk heritage, arts, and community ties in America. The campaign emphasizes cultural continuity for descendants of the Oirat Mongols who migrated to the Volga steppes in the 17th century, endured Soviet-era hardships, and resettled in the U.S. after World War II as displaced persons.

As a key initiative of the Kalmyk American Culture and Arts Foundation, this Tsagaan Dance serves as both a festive gathering and a fundraiser to sustain ongoing efforts in language, dance, music, and religious traditions among the Kalmyk diaspora. With the page featuring a countdown timer and options to "Donate & Tickets" or "Share," it invites broad participation to ensure a memorable launch for the anniversary year.

Posted on February 05, 2026 at 01:21 PM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Kalmyk Culture

Dzungaria: The Ancestral Homeland of the Kalmyks

Xinjiang regions simplified

Dzungaria, also known as Zungharia or Junggar Basin, is a vast semi-arid region in northwestern Inner Asia, roughly corresponding to northern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, parts of eastern Kazakhstan, and western Mongolia. Bounded by the Altai Mountains to the north, the Tian Shan to the south, and the Ili River valley, it features steppe grasslands, deserts, and oases ideal for nomadic pastoralism. Historically, it served as the heartland of the Oirat Mongols, western branches of the Mongolic peoples who practiced Tibetan Buddhism and maintained distinct confederations separate from eastern Mongols.

In the early 17th century, Dzungaria was the origin point for the Kalmyk migration. Facing internal rivalries, pasture shortages, and pressures from emerging Dzungar centralization under leaders like Erdeni Batur, large groups of Oirat tribes - primarily Torghuts under Kho Orluk, along with Dörbets, Khoshuts, and others - departed westward around 1618-1630. An estimated 200,000-250,000 people crossed southern Siberia, raiding Kazakh, Bashkir, and Nogai territories en route, before settling in the lower Volga steppes by the 1630s. This exodus created the Kalmyk Khanate, marking the Kalmyks as the westernmost Mongolic people and Europe's only indigenous Buddhist population.

Dzungaria remained the core of the Oirat confederation, evolving into the powerful Dzungar Khanate (c. 1634-1758) under Choros-led rulers like Galdan Boshugtu Khan and Tsewang Rabtan. The Dzungars expanded aggressively, clashing with Kazakhs, Qing China, and others, while maintaining cultural and religious ties with the distant Kalmyks. The 1640 Great Code of the Nomads (Iki Tsaadzhin Bichig), ratified near the Tarbagatai Mountains in Dzungaria, united Oirat tribes (including Kalmyk forebears) under Gelug Buddhism and common laws, symbolizing shared heritage despite geographic separation.

The region's significance deepened in 1771 during the Kalmyk exodus. Disillusioned by Russian encroachment on pastures, autonomy erosion, and Orthodox pressures, Ubashi Khan led 170,000-200,000 Kalmyks (mostly Torghuts) back to Dzungaria, seeking to restore independence under Qing rule. The Dalai Lama's astrological blessing underscored spiritual links to the ancestral land. The grueling journey across steppes claimed most lives due to Kazakh raids, starvation, and harsh weather, with only 66,000-70,000 survivors arriving. Catherine II abolished the Kalmyk Khanate, and remaining Kalmyks integrated further into Russia. Survivors in Dzungaria dispersed among Oirat remnants, some resettled by the Qing.

Today, Dzungaria holds profound symbolic importance for Kalmyks as their ancestral homeland and origin of their nomadic, Buddhist identity. It represents lost unity with other Oirats (now Torghuts in China/Mongolia), shared epics like Jangar, and resilience through migration. Modern Kalmyks view it as a cultural root, with historical memory preserved in folklore, scholarship, and ties to Mongolian Buddhist traditions amid ongoing revival in Kalmykia.

Posted on January 23, 2026 at 02:50 PM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Christmas Congratulations from Head of Kalmykia

On January 7, 2026, in the celebration of Christmas, the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia, Batu Khasikov, visited the Kazan Cathedral in the city of Elista.[1]

He extended his congratulations to Archbishop Justinian on the occasion of the holiday.[1]

Posted on January 08, 2026 at 12:29 PM by Kalmyks.com

Type: Article

Gymnast from Kalmykia Joins Russian National Team

Gymnast Varvara Toporova from Kalmykia has been named to the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team's individual program for 2026.[1]

Posted on January 08, 2026 at 12:23 PM by Kalmyks.com

 

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