The Grand Naadam Festival

 

Naadam festival, celebrated each summer, organized since many centuries ago as a test of courage, strength, daring, horsemanship and marksmanship, all necessary for nomadic people and warriors. 

Wrestling

 

Mongolian wrestling is similar to wrestling found elsewhere, except there are no weight divisions, so the bigger wrestlers are often the best. Mongolian wrestling also has no time limit- the bout will continue with short breaks. It will end only when the first wrestler falls, or when anything other than the soles of the feet or open palms touch the ground.

Before each elimination bout, wrestlers limber up and honor the judges and their individual attendants (zasuul) with a short dance called a devekh, or 'eagle dance'. After the bout, the loser must perform the "takhimaa ogokh", walking under the right arm of the winner. The gesture signifies peace between the two wrestlers. Wrestlers wear heavy boots called gutui - similar to the traditional Mongolian boots. The tight, unflattering pants are called shuudag, and the small vest across the shoulders is zodog. The open-fronted vest was allegedly introduced after one Amazonian-sized female wrestler floored all the male wrestlers. The vest was introduced to ensure that women would no longer take part in bouts.

Winners are bestowed glorious titles depending on how many rounds they win. These are nachin (falcon) - five rounds; zaan (elephant) -seven rounds; and arslan (lion) - given to the winner of the tournament. When an arslan (lion), wins two years in a row he becomes an Avraga "Champion". One renowned wrestler was given the most prestigious, and lengthy, title of the 'Eye-Pleasing Nationally Famous Mighty and Invincible Giant.

Archery

 

Horse racing and the sport of archery have been originated since the warring era, starting from around the 11th century. Archers use a bent composite bow made of layered horn, bark and wood. Usually, arrows are made from willows and the feathers are from vultures and other birds of prey. Traditionally dressed male archers stand 75m from the target, while women archers stand 60m from it. The target is a line of up to 360-round gray, red and yellow leather rings on the ground. Usually there are only about 20 or 30 rings. After each shot, special judges who stand near the target (but miraculously never get injured) emit a short sing called a Uuhai and raise their hands in the air to indicate the quality of the shot. The winner who hits the targets the most times is declared the best archer, or Mergen. 

Horse Racing

 

There are normally six categories of horse racing, depending on the age of horses: for example, a two-year-old horse, called a shudlen will race for 15km, while six and seven-year-old azrag  and ikh nas horses race for up to 30km. There are no tracks or courses;

It is just open countryside, which leaves great scope for cheating. Jockeys - boys and girls aged between five and 10 years old - prepare for months for special races, particularly at Naadam. Horses are fed a special diet for weeks beforehand.

Before a race, the audience, all decked out in traditional finery, often sings traditional songs. The young riders sing a traditional anthem called a Giingoo before the race, and scream 'goog' at the horses during the race.

The winner is declared Tumnii Ekh, or 'leader of ten thousand'. Riders and spectators rush to comb the sweat off a winning horse with a scraper traditionally made from a pelican's beak. The five winning horses are admired and talked about in reverence by the crowd, and traditional poems are read out, extolling the virtues of the riders and trainers. The five winning riders must drink some special airag, which is then often sprinkled on the riders' heads and on the horses' backsides.