In spite the fact that Tuva was ruled by different empires and influenced by their cultures the tuvinian people managed to preserve its unique peculiarities, traditions and customs till present days.

Nowadays we cannot imagine Tuva without "hoomei" throat singing which is very popular in the world, national wrestling "huresh" and carving from the stone agalmatolite.

Bai-Taiga mountains near the ancient village Teeli are rich in colored agalmatolite. The Tuvinians call it "chonar dash" - "a stone that can be cut". It can be easily cut by a sharp knife. What more, it doesn't crumble and possesses elasticity. Thematic diversity of souvenirs and sculpture formed in Tuva many years ago. First of all artists depict animals which inhabit Tuva mountains and steppes. Souvenirs made of agalmatolite are usually small, they are used only as decoration. Originally small animal figures were made as toys for tuvinian children. But now they turned into popular and desired souvenirs for tourists all over the world.

Decoration elements such as chess, inkwells, ashtrays and seals made from other stones also play an important role in folklore art. Chess are the most popular stone figures. The tuvinian chess are different European chess. They have their own unique peculiarities. A queen is a fairytale beast arzylan, a bishop is a camel, a knight is depicted fully, standing on four legs. A king is depicted as a rich lady in an elegant garment.

Many chess made by the tuvinian stone carvers possess art value.

Another tuvinian peculiarity is stamps. They are one of the most unique in the world. The rarest stamps are those printed during the period of the People's Republic of Tuva. The form of the stamps is also original - triangles, big squares and rhombs. The first stamp was printed in 1926. It represented the "wheel of life". Other traditional paintings on the stamps include hunting, fishing, farming, national kinds of sport: wrestling, horse arcing and archery, tractors and planes. Nowadays the tuvinian stamps are the objects of philatelists' worship. One stamp costs approximately 800$.

The national garment and traditional cuisine also can tell a lot about history and traditions.

The tuvinian national garment was influenced by a nomadic way of life. It had to be convenient for horse riding, to be durable and of course beautiful. The tuvinian clothes combine traditions of many Asian nations: the Turks, the Mongols, the Chinese and the Tibetans. In XVII Buddhism was declared the official religion of Tuva. The symbols of this religion were represented on clothes right away.

The clothes style is simple, colors are bright and decoration is rich. It shows the attitude of the Tuvinians towards themselves and towards the world. The national garment can easily show the social status of a man, his age, profession and character.

The national garment has always included the following clothes: an oriental robe, a coat, a fur coat, a belt, a hat, a sleeveless jacket, a short jacket, trousers, boots, socks, a muff, knee-caps and decorative elements for a belt.

The clothes were handmade. People usually bought cheap fabric from Russian merchants or made it from the skin of animals. Silk was very expensive, few people could afford it.

As cotton fabric became widespread the Tuvinians began to wear shirts, trousers and jackets. These clothes also were underwear. Poor families usually made trousers and shirts from the skin of a goat or a musk-deer.

In winter people wore fur trousers. Warm hats were decorated with fur of sable, fox, lynx and other animals.

The garments of children, young people, brides, wives, men and old people had many differences in symbols and colors.

Today mostly shamans and actors wear national clothes. But nevertheless a traditional garment is not an exotic thing. Every family has traditional garments. Very often it is still passed from father to son or is specially made for grown up children.

You can see national garment in museums or buy it in souvenir shops.

Another essential traditional part of the tuvinian life is their traditional house - a yurt. Usually it is called by an ancient Turkic word "ug". The walls of a yurt are made of a wooden frame which is comprised of 6 or more parts. These parts stand vertically forming a circle. The roof is made of long thin sticks connected to the frame. There is a hole in the roof which lets the smoke out. In summer the walls are higher. It protects a yurt from rain. In winter the walls are installed lower thus making the yurt warmer and steadier. The door of the yurt is traditionally situated in the east. The yurt is covered by 7 pieces of felt which are then connected by ropes. The floor is also covered by felt, skins and wood. There is a fire place with an iron bowl for cooking in the centre of the yurt.

There are no partitions inside the yurt. The right part is a woman's part, the left part is a man's part. A special place for guests is situated behind the fire place.

The yurt, its furniture and all things depended on the income level. A rich man's yurt was bigger, the wooden frame was painted. Poor yurts were covered by brown felt.

If you have a chance to visit a tuvinian family, don't forget to present sweets to children. Adults are usually gifted with something useful: a lighter or an electric torch. It is very important to pay attention to old people.

The Tuvinians like to sing very much. They usually sing about Sayan and Altai mountains, about Yenisei and Irtysh, about steppes and valleys. So if you are in a big company be ready to sing a song. You don't have to possess great vocal abilities, but it is necessary to sing sincerely.

There is a traditional kind of singing in Tuva which is called "hoomei". "Hoomei" throat singing is a unique kind of art which only some of the Sayan-Altai region nations possess. They are the Tuvinians, the Mongolians, the Altai people and the Bashkirs who live in the western part of Russia. The peculiarity of this singing is that a singer can emit two notes simultaneously thus making a solo of two voices. The main tuvinian styles are kargyraa, hoomei, ezengileer, borbannadyr and sygyt.

National tuvinian cuisine can be tasted in every family. The main food is meat and milk. Milk is the most respected food. The Tuvinians call it "ak chem" - "white food". It is also a sacred food. People believe that milk can protect them from evil powers, it can help to make important things. The hostess firstly gives milk or milk tea to her guests. She prays that the life of her family and guests should be as white as milk. The recipes of tuvinian milk dishes do not differ from other countries. The most famous dishes are milk tea - shay, koumiss (a beverage made of horse milk), hoytpak (sour milk), aarji (curds) and araka (milk vodka).

Meat is the main dish on a tuvinian table. Tuva combines several climatic zones. Due to this fact people have possibility to eat almost every kind of meat including camel, yak, deer, beef, goat and horse-flesh. But the most delicious meat is lamb. Every feast must include traditional dishes made from lamb. The tradition of cutting meat is strictly followed in our days too.

Other dishes of national cuisine include sogazha (made from liver), blood-pudding "han", kara myun broth etc.

The Tuvinians also eat dishes cooked from wheat and barley, such as dalgan, taraa and boorzak.

The most popular dishes are cooked from flour and meat.A great diversity of national dishes can be seen during two national holidays: Shagaa (the New Year) and Naadym (cattle breeders' holiday).The tours organized by "Sayan Ring" company give you great opportunity to taste national tuvinian cuisine cooked specially for the guests. Naadym holiday which is usually held in august gives you a great chance to get acquainted with national cuisine.