Naadam Festival
The tourists have flocked to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s
capital city for the annual Naadam Festival. The festivities include
the nation’s largest wrestling tournament with 512 contestants,
archery, horse races and anklebone shooting (participants
flick small bones at sheep anklebone targets). Mongolians go all out
for this festival with elaborate costumes,
colorful contortionists, and the peace banners of the great Genghis
Khan
(pronounced Chinggis Khaan here).
I immersed myself in the spirit by donning a traditional hat, feasting on the Mongolian version of the Hot Pocket, spending way too much money on souvenirs that are more likely Chinese than Mongolian, and standing in line for the ladies room for 45 minutes.
I heard from several people that the Ulaanbaatar Naadam Festival is becoming extremely commercialized, but I didn’t comprehend the extent of commercialization until I was confronted with the massive Coca Cola signs and tour buses.
From the stadium seating, I watched as Chinggis Khaan’s white peace banner paraded around the track to its resting place in the center of the field.
Contortionists, dancers, and this year’s Mongolian Olympic athletes peppered the field while the wrestlers stretched on the sidelines.
I watched the impressively large wrestlers for a while, and then moved on to the archery and anklebone shooting competitions.
The three days of Naadam horseracing take place just outside of the city.
I didn’t venture out for the races, but I was able to see one of the winning horses at the festival’s closing ceremonies.
Small Town Naadam Festivities
To experience the traditional spirit of Naadam, I recommend visiting a smaller village outside of the capital.
Small town Naadam festivals are usually held a few days earlier than Ulaanbaatar’s and give visitors a chance to talk with the wrestlers, drink some fermented mare milk, and cheer as the winning horse crosses the finish line.
At a smaller Naadam festival in the northern part of the country, I was able to play with friendly local children, eat ice cream made from goat milk, and catch the tail end of the horse race.
The horse race drew a dedicated swarm of locals.
Families and neighbors crowded together to watch the jockeys (children between the ages of 5 and 12) ride bareback across the finish line.
As the lead horse approached the finish line, the jockey had his eye on first prize, but his horse only had eyes for his owner.
The horse spotted the boy’s father in the crowd and headed straight for him, just yards shy of the finish.
The father frantically whooped and shooed him back on course just in time, as the second place horse approached.
The finish line excitement was a little too much for some of the horses.
The photo below is taken as a horse threw his rider just before crossing the finish line.
The boy’s father rushed out of the crowd and boosted him back on the horse to complete the race as the crowd cheered.
The horse racing was exciting, but I was far more entertained by the small town wrestling festivities.
I don’t know anywhere else in the world were you can sip fermented mare milk while watching men of all weight classes receive a traditional good luck pat on the rear from their trainer, throw cheese curds, and perform an eagle dance in front of a crowd.
The End of an Adventure
As I depart Mongolia, I will miss consuming varying goat products and circling the traditional stone cairns (ovoos) and making an offering for luck.
This is an adventure I look forward to repeating.
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