#hetalia east Asia

[meliissa-art]

Hetalia Femslash February

Day 3 - Spider Lilies

Nyo! Japan

Thank you @femslashetalia for hosting! ❤️

[irithnova]

What I think of Mongolia and Religion

I have spoken to Mongolians and heard the same kinda conclusions. Older generations, like boomers, are often a lot more religious. Millenials are less religious, but still a higher percentage compared to Gen Z. Millenials and Gen Z, of course whether they're religious or not depends on who you ask and there can definitely be very religious Gen Z but I hear that a lot of religious ritual for younger and younger generations become more symbolic and cultural rather than genuinely subscribing to those beliefs. This is pretty typical in many countries to be honest (by religion I am talking about mainly buddhism/tengrism).

With Mongolian religion, it started of with what is known as "Tengrism" which was not exclusive to Mongolia but was practiced throughout Central Asia as well. It was an animistic religion that centred around the sky God - Tengri, and reverence of ancestor spirits and nature. Tengrism in the modern day still is a deep rooted part of Mongolian culture, though a lot of Mongolians may not necessarily call themselves Tengrists or subscribe to that belief officially, it has always been a major part of Mongolian culture. For example, there are ovoos throughout the Mongolian countryside that are essentially cairns that are made that are put in place in order to be used as shrines or places of worship, for both Tengrist practices and buddhist, which are still used to this day. I think even wrestlers do some sort of ritual which involves circling around the ovoo.

So Tengrism really is an all pervasing part of Mongolian culture, even if Mongolians these days won't outright say "I believe in Tengrism/I'm a Tengrist."

Obviously Mongolia was Tengrist for the period of time before the conversion to buddhism during the Yuan dynasty, however the conversion to Buddhism in the Yuan did not exactly stop the Mongols belief in Tengrism, if anything they believed to something that could be described as a mixture between (vajrayana) Buddhism and Tengrism. This is similar to what happened in the other Khanates of the Mongol Empire. The Golden Horde, Chagatai Khanate and Ilkahante all eventually converted to Islam in their own times, however this kind of coexistence of their original Tengrist beliefs and Islam still prevailed, just like the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty and Buddhism. If anything, to the Mongols who converted to Islam, Islam was yet another path towards Tengri for them.

If anything, Tibetan Buddhism itself is a result of a similar kind of intertwining between folk religion and a major religion. Before Tibet converted to Buddhism, Tibetans followed a folk religion called "Bon", which is speculated to have been a similar religion to the Mongols Tengrism, perhaps because of the animistic aspects and reverence of ancestors. It was easier for the Mongols to accept this form of buddhism that was the result of a neighbour from a similar culture and climate rather than a more Sinitic version of Buddhism from an agricultural society and with a very different culture.

This history between Tibet and Mongolia is why I love Tibmon so much but I digress haha.

Tibetan lamas and Mongol Khans had something of a symbiotic relationship. The Khans would provide protection to Tibet through the use of their military and in turn the Lamas gave the Khans spiritual legitimacy to rule. This is quite funny seeing as Mongolia initially invaded Tibet in the 1240's under Godan Khan but gradually began to realise that Mongolia lacked the spiritual leadership that Tibet had.

After the collapse of the Mongol Empire, many Mongols went back to subscribing to mainly Tengrism rather than Buddhism-Tengrist mix that was around during the Yuan, however all was not lost. There was still a lot of Mongol interference with Tibetan politics, however now ti was the Oirat Mongols turn to convert. I feel as if lots of people make the mistake of crediting the actions of Oirat Mongol factions onto the Chinggisid/Khalkha Mongols (the Modern Mongolia we know now), however "Oirat" and "Mongol" during this time were seen as seperate groups by both parties - enemies even!

The last Khan of the Nothern Yuan dynasty - Koshugtu, followed the Karmapa school of Buddhism, and tried to suppress the Gelug school of Buddhism in Tibet along with the help of the Choghtu Mongol clan. The Oirat Khushut faction however won this war, allowing for the Gelug school of buddhism to reign supreme in Tibet, and in 1642 the fifth Dalai Lama was installed. In fact "Dalai lama" is a term that was a result of the Oirat Mongols - not the Chinggisid !

I don't think Mongolia stopped being a buddhist completely after the fall of the Yuan, as I said, Mongol Khans still followed Buddhism and there was still a lot of Mongol influence and intereference in Tibetan politics. I certainly believe that he was upset at the Oirat Mongol victory, less so because his preferred school of Tibetan Buddhism was defeated but more so that it meant that trying to re-establish a strong influence in Tibet has failed and was instead won over by his enemies, the Oirats, who began to act more rebelliously once the Yuan dynasty fell. I do think Mongolia retained his buddhist belief and it still influenced Mongolian culture and politics (again, literally tried to suppress Gelug Buddhism), but I think the ratio between Buddhist belief and Tengrist belief favoured the Tengrist side during this time.

When Mongolia was occupied during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty a few decades later, is when I think his Buddhist faith became stronger. In fact the Manchu rulers installed many lamas throughout Mongolia and seemingly encouraged the Mongols to take buddhism more seriously again, however this was not all just because Manchuria wanted Mongolia to escape samsara because of his great compassion for him or something. It is said that quite a few of these lamas were installed specifically by Manchuria to "pacify" the Mongol population, hinting that they may have had pro-Qing beliefs and were put there to discourage rebellion. In fact, some Mongol ultranationalists to this day will argue that Tibetan Buddhism was used by the Manchus to suppress and pacify the Mongols. And to be fair, a good portion of Mongolian men chose to become monks during this time, however this may have had more to do with escaping certain duties expected of male citizens.

Many years later in the 1930s, Buddhism went through a dark age in Mongolia. Purges of Buddhist monasteries and monks took place under the orders of Stalin. If a monk did not disrobe, they would be killed. I think this event only really strengthened Monglia's belief in Buddhism to be honest. He can be quite proud and stubborn (saying this in the nicest way possible) and so seeing a major aspect of his culture get destroyed would only embolden him to cling onto those aspects even hearder in defiance, even if he had to do so privately. His communication with Tibet was also limited during this time because of everything going on so it was also a sense of doing it out of respect/love for him (yeah sorry Tibmon is canon in my heart).

Another timeskip, but with the downfall of the USSR and Mongolia's transition to a market economy in the 90s and early 2000s. This era, though promising, was extremely hard on Mongolia. Unemployment was high, and alcoholism increased due to the uncertainty and stresses of Mongolia trying to navigate itself in this new era after being communist for so long. I heard from Mongolians that this was kind of like a "wild west" time, the country felt chaotic and lawless. I think the stressors of this time along with the decades after the purges meant that Mongolia was very much preoccupied with picking up the pieces and get his nation afoot economically. This isn't to say that Mongolia did not jump on the idea after the democratic revoluton of the 90's, he most certainly did. A kind of neo-Shamanism began during this time and many buddhist monasteries reopened, there was even around 70 churches built in Mongolia by 2002!

However during the time after that, I feel as if Mongolia became more... protective of his religion. There was intially a lot of enthusiam post 1990 and a welcoming of many curious visitors, howeer in the years to come, Mongolian shamans/shaman associations became more weary of Western neo-pagans who were seemingly interested in Mongolian shamanism however would only study this ancient belief from outside sources and who were generally very appropriative in their approach. So religion opened up again during this time and he was certainly pleased as Monglia was never one in believing in suppressing religion, however after so many years of being repressed, you can understand why he would become pretty protective and weary of outsiders taking interest, especially Western neo-pagan types.

Nowadays, I think religion wise, it's not as if he goes to a temple or a shaman every week and goes out of his way to be extremely devout, simply because I think he doesn't need to. Buddhism, Buddhism-Tengrism and Tengrism are all pervasive in Mongolian culture, in the mofits of their art and in the lyrics of their music and during major holidays. There is no huge force that's stopping him from practicing or destroying his monasteries.

Whilst a lot of Mongolians these days, especially younger generations, would call themselves atheists or agnostic, there is no doubt that religion is a major part of Mongolian culture in which it cannot be divorced from. I wouldn't say Mongolia would call himself an atheist because the very existence of nation-personfication-avatar-being-things means that there is definitely something mystical about this world (as in, the hetalia universe) but I would say that as a baseline, if anyone asks him, he will say he is a buddhist, and if you ask him to elaborate he'll explain the Tengrism part of his culture. He may shake his head a bit at the loss of religion in younger generations (I make him more on the boomer-ish side sorry) though he acknolwedges that he himself is a little hypocritical in this regard because he isn't exactly devout in general (unless Tibet visits -) but he would never reject those beliefs, moreso they're just ticking along in the background and once in a while especially during major holidays he will go to a monastery or visit a shaman and when he is travelling in the country and sees an ovoo he'll always stop and pay his respects.

[tianshiisdead]

hi everyone, sorry it's been quite a while since I've been around bc >irl busy and health issues yet again, but I cleaned up a pretty old painting to post while getting things together 💪 life keeps coming and it doesnt stop coming but it has slowed down a little Mashallah

[tejennnn]

My first time drawing RoBul!! 🇷🇴🇧🇬 I've been wanting to draw them with those loooooong bottles 👀

I drew APH Romania with Țuică de Prune, a traditional spirit made of plum. While APH Bulgaria is with muscat grape Rakia or fruit brandy (based on Burgas 63 brand)🍇

((Reference under cut))

Image credit to FabricatinRO (Tuica) and nokovandson (Burgas 63)!

[kuehmiyue]

neon requiem.

[peonycats]

What are your favourite kinds of Japan content? Or alternatively, what are your least favourites?

I'm a huge aph Japan fan, and I'm always curious abt this stuff.

Hmmm, well honestly I could talk all day about this topic LMAO but for your sake and mine I'll keep it brief and focus mostly on two especially grating depictions i dislike. I have some posts queued up down the line for how i tend to see japan so feel free to ask me about that when i get around to posting it ehehe

"Polite, cute, shy, quiet" japan depictions reallllly don't work for me. Like it's one thing to say that Japan is a reserved guy who puts value in having good manners and doesn't want to come across as rude, but it's another to turn him into a wilting flower who's easily dominated by louder personalities and turns into a side character. Besides it falling into ur typical trope of the "diminutive east asian who needs to be taught by their loud non easian (usually white) partner how to stand up for themself and live life a little," I think it's just patently false, both canonically and historically lmao. Like hima has called Japan a stubborn old man before, and history will tell you that Japan is nothing if not resourceful and very very proud, lol. He may bite his tongue, but I imagine that hes not someone who easily gives up or submits or at least without a fight 😂

Germany-Italy-Japan trio, or "Axis" trio, depictions never go over well for me, lol. I'm of the mindset that you can't really divorce them from their history in WW2, especially if you're going to call them the Axis, like lol the least you could do is call them something new. Furthermore, Geritapan depictions in my opinion are terrible with tokenizing japan as the sole character of color/east asian in the group, but the Worst Geritapan Depictions as of late are shipping gerita with japan off in the cuck chair?? I'm not saying we need to give Japan bitches (because lord knows he doesn't deserve any) but wow, congrats, you made your only East Asian man an emasculated yellow guy who just pines and copes over a white love interest who dgaf about him <3 a win for diversity!!!

anyways, if you're going to ship gerita but treat japan like this, i would rather you ship germany and italy together like a normal person and leave japan out of it 🙏

[hippopotamus000]

hetalia some Asia but they are all ultimate

[dappy-dappernette]

hi. as an asian myself, there's nothing wrong with the drawings that the artist has made. you can clearly see with the way the eyes on japan and china, that they've also drawn for nonasian characters as well. for the "manchu" part, my chinese friend saw it and said there was nothing wrong with it as well and thought it was cute.

please do not get offended on behalf of others like that, it feels insulting. especially if you are bashing on someone 9 years younger than you in the public eye.

Hi! I'm (South East/East) Asian too, Hmong specifically! So please read my bio and actually think for two seconds before sending me stupid shit and wasting my time. ❤️ (You also got my age wrong too lol. I'm 21.)

I also didn't name them too or post screenshots of their art, and my Chinese friends took offense to it, so take that as you will.

"Don't get offended on behalf of others-" Broski I was followed around and harassed in school for my race. Fuck off, lmao. Sinophobia is directed at Chinese ppl specifically yes, but non-Asian people don't see the differences between a Chinese person, a Japanese person, and a Hmong person.

[cindydacatpink]

My CountryHumans OC aka Country Humanize character (Cindy Nilo Evelyn country doppelganger)

Here my CountryHumans collection:

• Africa:

- Lerato Zola (Black South Africa 🇿🇦)

- Isabel Sky (White South Africa 🇿🇦)

- Mariam Hayat (Chad 🇹🇩)

• Asia:

- Alitza Derora (Israel 🇮🇱)

- Hadal Emaya (Palestine 🇵🇸)

- Salma Dalia (Gaza Strip 🇵🇸)

• Europe:

- Daria Anastasia (Romania 🇷🇴)

Btw, I tried inspired Hetalia and Animondos based on Deviantart which is i love this character country version especially CountryHumans. Also a lot cartoon, Tv Show and other media doppelganger character.

[vyborg]

Japan in the late 19th century going to bed and dreaming about becoming a great global power like a young girl with biologically inaccurate hair dreams about turning from a hated child to a hybrid princess

[lovestruckdiplomat]

HWS ASEAN and the Doctrine of Non-interference: Headcanons

Rereading the SEA chapters in relation to the readings I had for one of my ASEAN classes, I can appreciate how Himaruya portrays the "ASEAN Way." The ASEAN Way encompasses ASEAN's guiding principles and norms, including non-confrontation, informality, flexibility, and non-interference. Non-interference means that ASEAN member states refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs, which is why ASEAN cooperation primarily focuses on economic development, cultural exchange, and regional security.

Now imagine the lengths each SEA country would go to in their commitment to non-interference:

Piri suddenly breaking into a surprisingly baritone rendition of "My Way" when asked about another country's internal affairs. Thailand joins in, showcasing his unique dance moves

Vietnam breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Indonesia's eyebrows furrow, thinking he's going to intervene, but gasps loudly when Indonesia brings out an angklung instead

Malaysia declares a competition with Singapore to create the most creative routine to the song, so Singapore reveals an impromptu flash mob performance with perfectly synchronized choreography????

Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos forming a trio known as the "Non-Interference Enforcers"

Indonesia inventing a "Non-Interference Alarm Clock" that emits a loud siren whenever an SEA country is on the verge of interfering in another's business

Cambodia pranking Brunei and Myanmar by organizing a "Non-Interference Treasure Hunt” and setting up fake treasure maps and sending the two characters on a wild goose chase

Laos holding a "Quietest Concert" where everyone tries to keep a neutral face on while they take turns doing something weird

Piri initiating karaoke nights in which each country gets to sing a song of their choice without any interruptions or comments from the others

Meanwhile East Timor’s confused by their antics and the rest are just like, “You’ll understand when you’re older”

[spiceandtealeaves]

I’ve been working on a cardverse that’s centered on more characters rather then just Europeans and man I’m wondering on how to split it YBJH

[irithnova]

Naadam - and how Mongolia celebrates it.

What is Naadam in Mongolian culture and how would Mr Mongolia celebrate it?

Naadam is a traditional sports festival in Mongolia. It includes Mongols adorning themselves in national dress, mounted soldiers in uniform, music, dancers, and of course, the "Three Manly Sports":

Horse riding, wrestling and archery!

Naadam is a 2000 year old event, however, the term "Naadam" was coined in the 13th century by Chinggis Khaan (according to the secret history of the Mongols) and has been celebrated ever since.

Naadam used to be a preparation/practices/training for war. Competitions such as this would take place just before major battles in order for the war commanders to select which soldiers would be in which division.

Individuals who demonstrated exceptional strength, speed, and flexibility in wrestling, keen eyesight and precise hand-orientation in spear-throwing and archery, and also patience and skill in horse training/horse racing were carefully selected during the competitions.

Naadam takes place around mid-July in the heat of the summer, and is considered one of the biggest and most important festivals in Mongol culture along with Tsaagan Sar.

National Naadam is celebrated in the capital - Ulaanbaatar, in the national sports stadium. However it's not just restricted to the city! It takes place all across the country.

The Naadam festival kicks off with a ceremonial transfer of the symbolic "Nine Banners of the Great Mongol Empire" from the Government House to the Naadam stadium, escorted by honorary guards.

After a speech by the president or a representative, the games officially commence. In Ulaanbaatar, the capital, the event assumes a grand scale, drawing the most talented wrestlers, horse trainers, and archers from all corners of Mongolia!

As I've previously mentioned, Naadam takes place in the countryside too! In the countryside, herders journey to towns not only to partake in the festivities but also to reunite with friends and relatives, they may not have seen in a while.

Mongolia also has a bit of a reunion - with different Mongolic ethnic groups and other ethnic groups who's people participate in Naadam coming over to visit. Buryat and Uriankhai people are an example, and they (So, Buryat Mongols, Uriankhai/"forest people" as Mongols call them, usually denoting the likes such as Tuvans and Yakuts) have their own archery competitions. It's basically like one big get together!

Wrestling

Mongolian wrestling has no time limit and one objective - avoid touching the ground with anything other than your feet, or else you lose the match.

It also has no weight classes!

The National Wrestling Championship takes place during Naadam , however even before this, there are previous stages.

First is Soum (village) Naadam. Soum Naadam showcases wrestlers from various villages vying for the opportunity to represent their respective villages at the regional level.

Wrestlers who win at the Soum Naadam progress to the Aimag (province) Naadam, where they contend against other wrestlers within their own province to win the opportunity to represent the province.

The ultimate challenge awaits the winner of the Aimag Naadam at the National Naadam in Ulaanbaatar, the grandest and final tournament. Here, the aimag representatives vie for the prestigious title of national champion!

Mongol wrestling painting, 16th century

I definitely think Mr Mongolia is an avid wrestler/quite sporty himself (jock™) however he is a nation and so his nation strength and... Many, many years of experience would mean that it would be unfair for the most part if he went against humans. And besides, he absolutely risks outing himself if he participated in Naadam, especially with how popular wrestling is and uhh, considering the wrestling outfits... The lack of anonymity with that comes with it hahah.

However I think he participates in his own way. I think occasionally he helps with being with being a referee. Another thing: music. During Mongol national wrestling matches, you can often hear someone singing a Mongolian long song in the background. A long song is well, a song, which doesn't actually have a lot of words, but the the words are drawn out by the singer and emphasis is put on reaching impressive notes and putting power and volume in the voice. I think he does musical performances during naadam!

Archery

The Mongols are famous for their archery. There are many different types of Mongol archery.

There's Khalkha Archery, the most practiced one (seeing as the Khalkha Mongols are the majority ethnic group in Mongolia), spanning across a remarkable duration of 48 hours.

Those who triumph in this contest earn the esteemed distinction of the state archery title.

There's also women's archery! As for the women's archery tournament, they display their prowess by releasing 20 arrows towards a 60-meter target, while their male counterparts take aim with 40 arrows at a distance of 75 meters. The target itself comprises a symmetrical arrangement of diminutive leather cylinders, artfully positioned in rows of two and three.

Two red cylinders occupy the center of the target, but hitting them doesn't earn extra points. Each hit on a target gives one point, but merely hitting isn't enough for a score. The target must move a set distance from its starting point to count towards the final score.

There's also Uriankhai archery and Buryat archery - with Uriankhai archery only being practiced by men, and is practiced by the Uriankhai ethnic groups (this is a name Mongols give to what they consider Northern "forest people" like Tuvans or Yakuts). It has ties to religious ceremonies related to their culture. Buryat archery is practiced by the Buryat minority ethnic group of Mongolia. Both of which take place during the national Naadam festival.

They even have child archers!

I definitely think Mongolia is very passionate about archery, and watches the archery competitions intently. I think he helps with setting up the targets and prepping some of the archers when he can. He finds it fascinating to watch them display their skills and techniques with such precision and accuracy - and he wishes he could participate himself! He believes it is a testament to the level of dedication and hard work that athletes put into their craft and loves the satisfaction of the perfect hit - he'll always appreciate a good archer. Further, he puts time aside to go and watch the Buryat and Uriankhai archery with Buryatia and the others as its quite important to them all.

Horse racing

Over a thousand horses gather from all corners of the region to partake in this grand event. Diverging from Western traditions, these races traverse immense distances, spanning a remarkable range of 15 to 30 kilometers. The length of each race is intricately tied to the age of the horses, with the seasoned contenders gallantly competing over the longest stretches.

Curiously, the jockeys who guide these horses are not seasoned professionals, but rather children as young as 5 years old, with the oldest among them being 13. Yet, it is the horse's prowess that truly determines the outcome, as the race serves as a testament to their remarkable skills.

Age and gender play crucial roles in the classification of horses within the realm of horse racing. For example, in the case of geldings, they are divided into distinct age groups, spanning from 2 years old up to 6 years and older.

The races commence in a distinctive manner. All the horses gather behind a standard-bearer, cross the finish line together, and then follow the guidance of the official rider to reach the starting line.

In each class, the top 5 performers are crowned as "airgiyn tav," and the top three champions proudly claim gold, silver, and bronze medals. People joyfully sing their praises while showering them with fermented mare's milk (airag) on their rump, neck, and cheek.

The victorious jockey ascends to the esteemed title of "tumny ekh," signifying their leadership over a multitude of ten thousand.

Multiple races are showcased during Naadam. Stallions, specifically those known as Azarga, have a race of their own, while geldings partake in a minimum of three races. Further, a special race is organised specifically for pacing horses in Ulaanbaatar.

Remarkably, even the horse that crosses the finish line last in the two-year-old category is bestowed with a special appellation: "bayan khodood," meaning "full stomach." A heartfelt song resonates through the air, expressing good wishes and luck for the humble competitor to emerge triumphant in the following year.

The subject of child-jockeys seem to be somewhat contested amongst Mongols themselves. I'm not going to touch on that debate, however it should be noted that safety measures have been implemented in order to make sure that the race is as smooth as possible, but I understand that this can be a point of controversy. I definitely think Mongolia does his best in making sure the riders are well prepared/equipped for the races to ensure that have the best chances of coming out uninjured/relatively unscathed as possible. I think he puts extra time and care into this aspect of his Naadam participations considerably. He enjoys it to an extent as it reminds him of when he was a very young horse rider, and he does enjoy the celebrations afterwards, however the safety of the riders is at the forefront of his mind.

Other Naadam headcanons:

-Because Mongols usually wear their best clothes to Naadam, Mongolia definitely does too! He has a different outfit planned for each day.

-He uhh definitely enjoys all the food that's about 🤤 (khuushur, buuz)

-Probably floods his social media with pictures during this time

-Overall, it's quite an exciting yet busy time for him, he is involved in both the preparations for Naadam and participation in some aspects of Naadam, whilst also making sure to keep socialising with all the people he's invited over! But he manages it well.

[tianshiisdead]

east asia 1/4: korea

[local-fire-dumpster]

Nothing quite like opening this site post 2020 and seeing hetalia in the trending tab

[council-of-beetroot]

What your favourite Hetalia character says about you this is light hearted

Italy- you're basic

Romano - you're basic but you think you're not. You kin him

Germany- you probably have some unresolved issues

America - you are American and have never bothered to look at a map. Or you like your version of America that is ooc

England - I will never understand you

Canada - people ignored you in school

France - you're horny as fuck

China - you are either Chinese or have studied Chinese history or like wuxia. You get annoyed when Canada is subbed in for China when China is far more interesting of a character

Japan - like Japan you're chill to the point where I don't even see you.

Lithuania - I don't want to know the fuck happened to you in your life to find him relatable

Poland - jesteś polakiem

Nordics - there's something off about you but in that way that there is something off about every Mormon I've ever met.

Prussia - you either think he's cool or you just want to ship your other fave with him. You probably like military history but don't want to look like a Nazi. Or you're polish and hate how Polish Prussian history is overlooked in the fandom despite Prussia literally almost decapitating Poland in the show.

Russia - you like the Cold war. You probably have a bunch of weird history memes saved on the phone.

Hungary - you like shipping. Idk I don't usually see anyone with her as their top character.

Austria - you are jewish. Or you are into western European history.

Netherlands - you are either Indonesian or also a Canada fan

Türkiye: you know it's the closest hima will get to ever depicting the middle east, central asia, west asia, and North Africa so you take it.

Micronations - you like Hetalia but don't like history.

Yugotalia: you're here for memes not political correctness.

Portugal : simply a stepping stone to the character that really matters... BRASIL!!!!!!! CAMPEÃO DO MUNDO!!!!!!!!!

...Or you're weird and like either Spain or England

Sorry if I don't have everyone I don't interact with enough people to really know some of the characters.