Naadam

Naadam(Mongolian Naadam Festival) (Mongolian:Наадам,classical Mongolian:ᠨᠠᠭᠠᠳᠤᠮNaɣadum,[ˈnaːdəm],literally "games") is a traditional festival celebrated inMongolia,Inner MongoliaandTuva.The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" (эрийн гурван наадам), "the three games of men".

The games areMongolian wrestling,horse racing,andarchery,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 theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityofUNESCO.^[1]^[2]^[3]

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 aBiyelgeedance. Traditional cuisine, orKhuushuur,is served around the Sports Stadium along with a special drink made of fermented horse milk (airag). The three games of wrestling, horse racing, and archery are recorded in the 13th-century bookThe Secret History of the Mongols.During theQing dynasty's rule,Naadam became a festival officially held bysums.

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 theMongolian People's Republicwas associated with theMongolian Revolution of 1921.The first official military parade in Communist Mongolia took place in 1921 in honor of the victories ofDamdin Sükhbaatarin 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 theMongolian People's ArmyonSükhbaatar Squarewere generally held on jubilee years (specifically in 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991^[4]), alongside theInternational Workers DayandOctober Revolution Dayparades.^[5]General T. Galsan was the longtime commander these parades.^[6]During these events, party and government leaders viewed the events from the top ofSükhbaatar's Mausoleum.^[7]After 1991, the communist practice was abandoned with the exception of 1996 when a parade in theNational Sports Stadiumcommemorated 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, includingMikhail Suslov,Józef Cyrankiewicz,andWładysław Gomułka.^[8]

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'sindependencefrom the Qing dynasty, and also coincides withMongolian State Flag Day.The latter formally commemorates the1921 Revolutiona decade later, when communist invaded and deposed Bogd Khan, spillover from theRussian Civil War.Naadam also celebrates the achievements of the new state.^[9]

Naadam is also celebrated in different regions of Mongolia andInner Mongoliain July and August. In theTuva Republic,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 theBogd Khan(Jabzundamba Khutugtu), the new head of state.^[9]

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, alongside elements of uniformed organizations.

Another popular Naadam activity is the playing of games usingshagai,sheep anklebones that serve as game pieces and tokens of bothdivinationand 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.^[10]

National Naadam Festival

Alongside the Danshig Naadam, the biggest festival is the National Naadam Festival, which is held in the Mongolian capital,Ulaanbaatar,during the National Holiday from 11 to 13 July, in theNational 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 asingle-elimination tournamentthat 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 azasuul.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 ofzaan,"elephant". The winner of the 9th or 10th stage is calledarslan,"lion".^[11]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, oravraga.^[11]

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 16 km (10 mi) and seven-year-olds for 27 km (17 mi). 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.^[12]

Before the races begin, the audience sings traditional songs and the jockeys sing a song calledGingo.Prizes are awarded to horses and jockeys. The top five horses in each class earn the title ofairgiyn tavand the top three are given gold, silver, and bronze medals. The winning jockey is praised with the title oftumny ekhor leader of ten thousand. The horse that finishes last in the Daaga race (two-year-old horses race) is calledbayan khodood(meaning "full stomach" ). A song is sung to thebayan khodoodwishing him luck to be next year's winner.^[12]

Riders in Mongolia during the Naadam festival
Rider during Naadam festival
Two young riders across the finish line.
Rider during Naadam festival inUlaanbaatar

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 thedeel'scuff does not interfere with shooting.

Mongolian archery is unique for having dozens ofsursas targets. Eachsuris 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 asurout of the wall with an arrow counts as a hit, though knocking asurout of the centre will bring a competitor more points. When the archer hits the target, the judge saysuuhaiwhich 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".^[13]

References

^"Airag: Mongolia's Popular Milk Beverage".Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023.Retrieved22 February2018.
^"Khuushuur".mongolfood.info.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2024.Retrieved22 February2018.
^"The Biyelgee – Mongolian Folk Dance or Modern Dance Form?".13 May 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2023.Retrieved22 February2018.
^Sanders, Alan J K (2010).Historical Dictionary of Mongolia(3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 62.ISBN 978-0-8108-7452-7.OCLC 939933261.
^"Rare Images of the People's Revolution".tolgoilogch.mn(in Mongolian). Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2023.Retrieved10 August2019.
^n24.mn."Г.Махбариад: Цол өгөөд л байсан, би ч аваад л байсан. Цэргийнхний 16 жилд авдаг цолыг би таван жилд зүүсэн".n24.mn.Retrieved7 June2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)^{[dead link]}
^"История Улан-Батора: Мавзолей Сухэ-Батора и центральная площадь".Archivedfrom the original on 25 February 2023.
^"Фильм Праздник в народной Монголии.. (1961)".net-film.ru.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2024.Retrieved7 June2021.
^^a ^bAtwood Christopher Pratt, 1964–Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire,Facts On File, Ink
^Bayarlkhagva, Munkhnaran (21 October 2021)."What's Wrong With Mongolia's Naadam Festival?".The Diplomat.Archivedfrom the original on 29 December 2023.Retrieved31 October2021.
^^a ^b"The Maulers of Mongolia",Black Beltmagazine, July 1969, p. 22
^^a ^b"Naadam Festival." The Center for the Study. 16 April 2008http:// csen.org/Mongol.Nadaam/Mongol.text.html
^"The Naadam Archery Competition".atarn.org.Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2023.

External links

Chinggis Khaan's Mongolia.S. Uranbileg and E. Amarbilig. Ulaanbaatar, 2006, 156 p.ISBN 99929-65-08-8.In English.
Naadam Festival,Official Website
Naadam Festival,The Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads
Naadam Festival Blog- Mongolia Naadam Festival
Mongolia Naadam Festival Tours- Mongolia Naadam FestivalTours
Mongolia Naadam Festival and Events- Mongolia Naadam Festival and Events
Audio coverageof horse racing

[airag-1] "Airag: Mongolia's Popular Milk Beverage".Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2023.Retrieved22 February2018.

[khuushuur-2] "Khuushuur".mongolfood.info.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2024.Retrieved22 February2018.

[Biyelgee_dance-3] "The Biyelgee – Mongolian Folk Dance or Modern Dance Form?".13 May 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2023.Retrieved22 February2018.

[4] Sanders, Alan J K (2010).Historical Dictionary of Mongolia(3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 62.ISBN 978-0-8108-7452-7.OCLC 939933261.

[5] "Rare Images of the People's Revolution".tolgoilogch.mn(in Mongolian). Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2023.Retrieved10 August2019.

[6] 24.mn."Г.Махбариад: Цол өгөөд л байсан, би ч аваад л байсан. Цэргийнхний 16 жилд авдаг цолыг би таван жилд зүүсэн".n24.mn.Retrieved7 June2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)^{[dead link]}

[:0-7] "История Улан-Батора: Мавзолей Сухэ-Батора и центральная площадь".Archivedfrom the original on 25 February 2023.

[8] "Фильм Праздник в народной Монголии.. (1961)".net-film.ru.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2024.Retrieved7 June2021.

[ReferenceA-9] Atwood Christopher Pratt, 1964–Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire,Facts On File, Ink

[10] Bayarlkhagva, Munkhnaran (21 October 2021)."What's Wrong With Mongolia's Naadam Festival?".The Diplomat.Archivedfrom the original on 29 December 2023.Retrieved31 October2021.

[blackbelt-11] "The Maulers of Mongolia",Black Beltmagazine, July 1969, p. 22

[csen.org-12] "Naadam Festival." The Center for the Study. 16 April 2008http:// csen.org/Mongol.Nadaam/Mongol.text.html

[13] "The Naadam Archery Competition".atarn.org.Archivedfrom the original on 22 September 2023.

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