Yak racing () is a

spectator sport A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are ...

held at many traditional

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 c ...

s of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

and

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 ...

, in gatherings which integrate popular dances and songs with traditional physical games. For Tibetans in particular it is very special festive occasion.

The race

Each of the competitors, which commonly number 10 or 12, mounts his or her

yak The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin S ...

, and the yaks run towards the opposite end of the race course. Yak racing is also known to be performed in parts of

and in

Pamir Pamir may refer to: Geographical features * Pamir Mountains, a mountain range in Central Asia ** Pamir-Alay, a mountain system in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, part of the Pamir Mountains *A pamir (valley) is a high plateau or valley surro ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The race attains a feverish pitch with the daredevilry of the yak rider and the yak displaying their pluck to reach the target. Yaks and their riders gather at the venue of racing from different villages of the region. Now nearly 150 yaks are entered into the race, as against 50 in the past. The race is a very colourful event with both the yak and its rider dressed in strikingly attractive clothing and decorations; the yak's head is adorned with red tassels, the horns are wrapped in colourful silk cloth, the ears are draped in ribbons and the tail is covered with cloth in fan shaped cloth with Tibetan designs. The riders and herdsmen also turn up wearing very colourful attire suitable for the occasion as lucky symbols so that their yaks could get to win the first place, The race has the same degree of risks as is involved in horse racing. The race track is nowadays of 2000 metres length in open fields and racing yaks would cover this distance in about 8 minutes. The winning yak and its rider get the adulation of the people and are treated with respect.

In China

Yak The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin S ...

racing became an integral part of the Jyekundo (Yushu in Chinese) Horse Festival in 2006. It was held 20 km south of Jyekundo near the small township of Batang with over 20,000 people in attendance. For the 2007 horse festival all 6 counties of

Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (, , retranscribed into Tibetan as ), also transliterated as Yüxü or Yulshul, is an autonomous prefecture of Southwestern Qinghai Province, China. Largely inhabited by Tibetans, the prefecture has an area of ...

are combining resources and financing together to provide a larger festival, called Khampa Arts Festival (Chin. ''Kangba Yishu Jie'') in the prefecture capital of Jyekundo with an anticipated 40,000 to 50,000 people in attendance. Yak racing is also an integral part of the nineteen-day Darma Festival in Gyangze, and a comic highlight of the Damxung Horse Festival also known as the Dajyur. Yak racing is also a common sport in the

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

and

stockbreeding Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...

areas on the grand

Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Ti ...

of Qingzang altiplano. They hold yak racing events annually to celebrate the good harvest, and they pray for good weather during the coming year. The festival which used to be held on 25 November has been reordered as the Wangguo Festival and is held before the harvest season in August.

In Mongolia

In the northern

Khangai Mountains The Khangai Mountains ( mn, Хангайн нуруу, Hangain nuruu, ); form a range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar. Name Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhan ...

of Mongolia, the traditional Yak Festival is held near the lake

Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake ( mn, Тэрхийн Цагаан нуур, Terkhiin Tsagaan nuur, , zh, 特尔赫查干湖, 特尔赫查干淖尔), also known as The White Lake, is a lake in the Khangai Mountains in central Mongolia. The Khorgo volcano i ...

every year, on the first and second days of August.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Yak Racing
— photographs and information
Photograph of yak racing
Sport in Tibet Sport in Mongolia Sport in Kyrgyzstan Traditional sports of Pakistan Animal racing Yaks Animal festival or ritual

The race

In China

In Mongolia

See also

References

External links