Naadam Group No.4

Later in the 1920s, Naadam started to take place as a nationwide celebration honouring the victory of the People’s Revolution and forming the independent nation of Mongolia. From that time, dominant image of Naadam has shifted from mass battle or physical training to national celebration.

NAADAM IS A TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL IN MONGOLIA. Picture Description : 2006 Naadam ceremony in Ulaanbaatar.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL In Mongolia, we also termed “Eriin Gurvan Naadam” (Эрийн Гурван Наадам), "the three games of men” The games are : -Mongolian Wrestling, -Horse Racing, - Archery The festival held throughout the country during midsummer The biggest festival is held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar during the National Holiday from July 11-13, in the National Sports Stadium

Naadam begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. Naadam begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin.

THE THREE SPORTS ARE CALLED "DANSHIG" GAMES. The three sports : 1.Wrestling 2.Horse Racing 3.Archery The three sports : 1.Wrestling 2.Horse Racing 3.Archery

WRESTLING First, 512 or 1024 wrestlers meet in a single-elimination tournament 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 hand. 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. In the final competition, all the "zasuuls" drop in the wake of each wrestler as they take steps toward each other.

HORSE RACING 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, 2 year old horses race for ten miles and 7 year olds for seventeen mls. Up to 1000 horses from any part of Mongolia can be chosen to participate. Race horses are fed a special diet. Before the races begin, the audience sings traditional songs and the jockeys sing a song called Giingoo. Prizes are awarded to horses and jockeys. The horse that finishes last is called bayan khodood (Full Stomach). A song is sung to the Bayan khodood wishing him luck to be next year's winner.

ARCHERY In this competition both men and women participate. It is played by teams of ten. Each archer is given four arrows; the team must hit 33 "surs". Men fire their arrows from 75 m away while women fire theirs from 65 m away. Traditionally the archers wear their national clothing (Deel) during the competition. 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".

 If you don’t want to watch sports all the time, there’s plenty to see and do outside – food, music, crafts or just watching people and culture. This is the best time to see the Mongolian people and soak up the party atmosphere! PICTURE DESCRIPTION : OPENING CEREMONY IN NATIONAL SPORTS STADIUM

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