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Naadam (Mongolian Naadam Festival) ( mn, Наадам, classical Mongolian: ''Naɣadum'', , ''literally "games"'') is a traditional festival celebrated in
Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
,
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
and
Tuva Republic Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...
. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" (), "the three games of men". The games are
Mongolian wrestling Mongolian wrestling, known as Bökh (Mongolian script: ; Mongolian Cyrillic: Бөх or Үндэсний бөх), is the folk wrestling style of Mongols in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and other regions where touching the ground with anything other th ...
, horse racing, and archery, and are held throughout the country during midsummer. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling. In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.


Overview


Origins

Naadam is the most widely watched festival among Mongols and is believed to have existed for centuries in one fashion or another. It has its origin in the activities, such as military parades and sporting competitions such as archery, horse riding and wrestling, that followed the celebration of various occasions, including weddings or spiritual gatherings. It later served as a way to train soldiers for battle and was also connected to Mongols' nomadic lifestyle. Mongolians practice their unwritten holiday rules that include a long song to start the holiday, then a '' Biyelgee'' dance. Traditional cuisine, or ''
Khuushuur Khuushuur ( mn, хуушууp ; ; rus, чебуре́к, cheburek, t͡ɕɪbʊˈrʲek) is a meat pastry or dumpling popular in Mongolia that is relatively similar to similar items in Russian and other cuisines like chiburekki. The meat, beef, m ...
'', is served around the Sports Stadium along with a special drink made of horse milk ('' airag''). The three games of wrestling, horse racing, and archery are recorded in the 13th-century book ''
The Secret History of the Mongols ''The Secret History of the Mongols'' (Middle Mongol: ''Mongɣol‑un niɣuca tobciyan''; Traditional Mongolian: , Khalkha Mongolian: , ; ) is the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language. It was written for the Mongol royal fam ...
''. During the Qing dynasty's rule, Naadam became a festival officially held by sums. It began to be held annually in 1639 with a dance festival dedicated to the High Saint Zanabazar. In this festival of Shireet White Lake, Bokh Lama won in wrestling, and Bonkhor Donir's horse won the championship. In 1772, a great festival was held to worship Khentii mountain. It is called the Festival of Ten Governments. In 1912, the Ten Government Games, which used to be played with losing points, became an annual state game. Until the death of Bogd Khan in 1925, the Ten Government Festival became a state festival. Ten Government Games have been held 125 times.


Communist era

Naadam during the period of the
Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...
was associated with the
Mongolian Revolution of 1921 The Mongolian Revolution of 1921 ( Outer Mongolian Revolution of 1921, or People's Revolution of 1921) was a military and political event by which Mongolian revolutionaries, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army, expelled Russian White Gua ...
. The first official military parade in Communist Mongolia took place in 1921 in honor of the victories of
Damdin Sükhbaatar Damdin Sükhbaatar ( mn, Дамдины Сүхбаатар, Damdinii Sühbaatar, ; February 2, 1893 – February 20, 1923) was a Mongolian communist revolutionary, founding member of the Mongolian People's Party, and leader of the Mongolia ...
in the revolution. It was celebrated as a Buddhist/shaman holiday until secularization in the 1930s under the Communist influence of the Soviet Union. The anniversary parades of the
Mongolian People's Army The Mongolian People's Army ( Mongolian: ''Монголын Ардын Арми''), also known as the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army ( Mongolian: ''Монгол Ардын Хувьсгалт Цэрэг'') or the Mongolian Red Army ( Mong ...
on
Sükhbaatar Square Sükhbaatar Square ( mn, Сүхбаатарын талбай, pronounced ''Sükhbaatariin Talbai'') is the central square of Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar. The square was named for Mongolian's revolutionary hero Damdin Sükhbaatar after his death ...
were generally held on jubilee years (specifically in 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991), alongside the
International Workers Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...
and
October Revolution Day October Revolution Day (officially Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution, russian: День Великой Октябрьской социалистической революции) was a public holiday in the Soviet Union and other ...
parades. General T. Galsan was the longtime commander these parades. During these events, party and government leaders viewed the events from the top of
Sükhbaatar's Mausoleum Sükhbaatar's Mausoleum () was a mausoleum for Damdin Sükhbaatar, leader of the Mongolian Revolution of 1921, and Khorloogiin Choibalsan, leader of the Mongolian People's Republic from the late 1930s to his death in 1952, in Mongolia's capital Ul ...
. After 1991, the communist practice was abandoned with the exception of 1996 when a parade in the National Sports Stadium commemorated the 790th anniversary of the founding of Mongolia and the 75th anniversary of the revolution. Many of the celebrations were celebrated with the participation of foreign communists who visited the country, including
Mikhail Suslov Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov (russian: Михаи́л Андре́евич Су́слов; 25 January 1982) was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1965, and as uno ...
,
Józef Cyrankiewicz Józef Adam Zygmunt Cyrankiewicz (; 23 April 1911 – 20 January 1989) was a Polish Socialist (PPS) and after 1948 Communist politician. He served as premier of the Polish People's Republic between 1947 and 1952, and again for 16 years between ...
, and
Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948. Following the Polish October he became leader again from 1956 to 1970. G ...
.


Modern celebrations and traditions

The two largest Naadams held in Mongolia today are the Danshig Naadam and the National Naadam. The former was only instituted as an annual event in 2015, having previously been held irregularly and commemorates Mongolia's
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from the Qing dynasty, and also coincides with
Mongolian State Flag Day State Flag Day ( mn, Төрийн далбааны өдөр) is the main state holiday in Mongolia, being celebrated annually on July 10. State Flag Day is celebrated with a central government-sponsored events including a military parade and a fla ...
. The latter formally commemorates the 1921 Revolution a decade later, when communist invaded and deposed Bogd Khan, spillover from the
Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...
. Naadam also celebrates the achievements of the new state.Atwood Christopher Pratt, 1964-''Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire,'' Facts On File, Ink Naadam is also celebrated in different regions of Mongolia and
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
in July and August. In the
Tuva Republic Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...
, Naadam is on 15 August. The three sports are called Danshig games. They became the great celebration of the new nation, where the nobility got together to dedicate to the
Bogd Khan Bogd Khan, , ; ( – 20 May 1924) was the khan of the Bogd Khaganate from 1911 to 1924, following the state's ''de facto'' independence from the Qing dynasty of China after the Xinhai Revolution. Born in Tibet, he was the third most importa ...
(Jabzundamba Khutugtu), the new head of state. Genghis Khan's nine horse tails, representing the nine tribes of the Mongols, are still ceremonially transported from Sukhbaatar Square to the Stadium to open the Naadam festivities. At the opening and closing ceremonies, there are impressive parades of mounted cavalry, athletes and monks. Another popular Naadam activity is the playing of games using ''
shagai Shagai ( mn, шагай, ), chükö ( ky, чүкө, ), asyk/ashyk/oshuq ( kk, асық, ; tr, aşık; ug, ھوشۇق; tg, ошуқ, ), gachuha (Manchu : ) refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected a ...
,'' sheep anklebones that serve as game pieces and tokens of both divination and friendship. In the larger Naadam festivals, tournaments may take place in a separate venue. Recently, concerns have been raised about the perceived corruption of the festival and its ambiguous symbolism.


National Naadam Festival

Alongside the Danshig Naadam, the biggest festival is the National Naadam Festival, which is held in the Mongolian capital,
Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
, during the National Holiday from July 11 to 13, in the National Sports Stadium. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. The competitions are mainly horseback riding.


Three games


Wrestling

A total of 512 or 1024 wrestlers meet in a
single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
that lasts nine or ten rounds. Mongolian traditional wrestling is an untimed competition in which wrestlers lose if they touch the ground with any part of their body other than their feet or hands. When picking pairs, the wrestler with the greatest fame has the privilege to choose his opponent. Wrestlers wear two-piece costumes consisting of a tight shoulder vest (''zodog'') and shorts (''shuudag''). Only men are allowed to participate. Each wrestler has an "encourager" called a ''zasuul''. The zasuul sings a song of praise for the winning wrestler after rounds 3, 5, and 7. Winners of the 7th or 8th stage (depending on whether the competition features 512 or 1024 wrestlers) earn the title of ''zaan'', "elephant". The winner of the 9th or 10th stage is called ''arslan'', "lion"."The Maulers of Mongolia"
'' Black Belt'' magazine, July 1969, p. 22
In the final competition, all the "zasuuls" drop in the wake of each wrestler as they take steps toward each other. Two-time arslans are called the titans / giants, or ''avraga''.


Horse racing

Unlike Western horse racing, which consists of short sprints generally not much longer than 2 km, Mongolian horse racing as featured in Naadam is a cross-country event, with races 15–30 km long. The length of each race is determined by age class. For example, two-year-old horses race for and seven-year-olds for . Up to 1000 horses from any part of Mongolia can be chosen to participate. Race horses are fed a special diet. Children from 5 to 13 are chosen as jockeys and train in the months preceding the races. While jockeys are an important component, the main purpose of the races is to test the skill of the horses."Naadam Festival." The Center for the Study . 16 Apr 2008 http://www.csen.org/Mongol.Nadaam/Mongol.text.html Before the races begin, the audience sings traditional songs and the jockeys sing a song called ''Gingo''. Prizes are awarded to horses and jockeys. The top five horses in each class earn the title of and the top three are given gold, silver, and bronze medals. The winning jockey is praised with the title of or leader of ten thousand. The horse that finishes last in the Daaga race (two-year-old horses race) is called (meaning "full stomach"). A song is sung to the wishing him luck to be next year's winner.More about horse riding in Mongolia
Naadam.jpg, Riders in Mongolia during the Naadam
festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
Naadam rider Mongolia.jpg, Rider during Naadam, in Mongolia Nadaam Racers.jpg, Two young riders race across the finish line.


Archery

In this competition both men and women may participate. It is played by teams of ten. Each archer is given four arrows; the team must hit 33 ''"surs".'' Men shoot their arrows from 75 meters away while women shoot theirs from 65 meters away. Traditionally the archers wear their national clothing (''Deel'') during the competition. All the archers wear leather bracers up to the elbow on their outstretched arm, so that the ''deel’s'' cuff does not interfere with shooting. Mongolian archery is unique for having dozens of ''surs'' as targets. Each ''sur'' is a small woven or wooden cylinder. They are placed on top of each other forming a wall three-high, which is approximately 8 inches high by 5 feet wide. Knocking a ''sur'' out of the wall with an arrow counts as a hit, though knocking a ''sur'' out of the centre will bring a competitor more points. When the archer hits the target, the judge says ''uuhai'' which means "hooray". After each hit, an official repairs the damaged wall and makes it ready for the next attempt. The winners of the contest are granted the titles of "national marksman" and "national markswoman".


See also

*
Tsagaan Sar The Mongolian Lunar New Year, commonly known as Tsagaan Sar ( mn, Цагаан сар, ''Cagán sar'' / , or literally White Moon),, ; xal, Цаһан сар, ''Cahan sar'', ; tyv, Шагаа is the first day of the year according to th ...
(English "White Moon"), the Mongolian Lunar New Year (the first most important Mongolian holiday before Naadam). *
Great Kurultáj The Great Kurultáj or briefly Kurultáj is a traditional event of peoples of Central Asian nomadic origins, which takes place in the first week of August in Bugac, Hungary. The aim of this event is to strengthen the unity of the Eurasian ste ...
* Kurultai * Sabantuy * The World Qoroltai of the Bashkirs *
Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People The Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People is a national congress and the supreme representative plenipotentiary body of the Crimean Tatar people.UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...


References


External links

*''Chinggis Khaan's Mongolia''. S. Uranbileg and E. Amarbilig. Ulaanbaatar, 2006, 156 p. . In English.
Naadam Festival
Official Website

The Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads

Mongolia Naadam Festival
Mongolia Naadam Festival Tours
Mongolia Naadam FestivalTours
Mongolia Naadam Festival and Events
Mongolia Naadam Festival and Events
Audio coverage
of horse racing {{International multi-sport events Multi-sport events in Mongolia Buryat culture Tuvan culture National holidays Public holidays in Mongolia Cultural festivals in Mongolia July observances Summer traditions Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity National multi-sport events Equestrian festivals Sports festivals in Mongolia Summer events in Mongolia