Mongolian Jingle Bells

Ümmet Özcan’s Mongolian-style version of Jingle Bells is a surreal cultural collision that transforms one of the world’s most familiar Christmas songs into something ancient and otherworldly. Stripped of its cosy festive cheer (wait, though, everyone in the video is having a whale of a time, grinning away and bouncing about like crazy), the melody is reborn through throat singing, pounding tribal rhythms, and steppe-inspired instrumentation, making it sound less like a carol and more like a ritual echoing across the Eurasian plains. The result is strangely hypnotic: a reminder of how deeply flexible music can be, and how a tune associated with sleigh rides and snowmen can be reimagined as a shamanic chant.

Ümmet Özcan is a Turkish-Dutch DJ and producer (yes, he is not Mongolian!) who has carved out a distinctive place in electronic music by blending modern techno with ancient, almost mystical sounds. Originally rising to prominence in the hardstyle and trance scenes, Özcan later reinvented his style, drawing inspiration from shamanic rhythms, throat singing, ancestral chants, and traditional instruments from Central Asia and beyond. Tracks like “Xanadu” and “Kurgan” feel less like club music and more like sonic rituals, evoking forgotten cultures and spiritual journeys. This fusion of cutting-edge production with echoes of humanity’s distant past has earned Özcan a global following—and a reputation as an artist who turns dance floors into something closer to a modern-day ceremony.  For now, though, just enjoy jingle bells!

Genghis Khan Rides Again: Huge Statue of Emperor Dominates the Mongolian Steppe

Just over thirty miles east of the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator the old Emperor, Genghis Khan, rides again.  Sat atop his horse, surveying his dominion (which was after his death to become the largest contiguous empire in history) a huge 131 feet statue of Genghis Khan dominates the steppes of Mongolia.

Image Credit Flickr User Fran001

The sculpture, designed by D. Erdenebileg and architect J. Enkhjargal stands at the banks of the Tuul River.  It is here that the great emperor was said to have found a golden whip at the age of fifteen – though there is no exact evidence to support this.  It was, however, this whip that is said to have inspired the young Temujin (his birth name) to go on to conquer much of the known world.