The Naadam Festival is the biggest festival in Mongolia. This festival is all about an exquisite and eloquent manifestation of the nomadic civilization, an admirable celebration of national freedom, and an outstanding blend of sport and arts. It is celebrated in the month of July which starts from 11th of July 2020 and ends on the 15th of July 2020. The festival is locally known as “the three games of men,” “Eriin Gurvan Nadam.” The three games are the core part of the Mongolian Festival they are: Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery, and are held during midsummer throughout the region. Now Women began to participate in horse riding and girls in archery and they still do not participate in wrestling.
Nomadic Mongolians knew when to throw out the celebrations. This festival takes place in the most happening month of the country’s most pleasant season and the festival is loved by everyone in different ways such as trips to the countryside, fishing and calling together their nearest animals. They also take part in the new opportunities at the festival. Especially in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, the State Naadam Festival is the most beautiful festival, with a larger variety and the most important participants.
Origin of the Naadam Festival
The modern Naadam festival is originated from the ancient nomadic life n the plains of Mongolia, thousands of miles of vast, continual grasslands. Mongolians succeeded in archery and horseman hood. Military festivals were founded around the 12th-13th century where men tried their strength and the agility of their steeds. Naadam competitions were held annually on religious holidays from the 17th century, and today they take place every year in early July.
During ancient times, the Mongolian Kings and military commanders used to train and feast of the warriors for the primary war devices during the three traditional manly activities. Since the 1921 Mongolian People’s Revolution, it was celebrated as a national holiday.
Celebrations
Naadam festival is not only a holiday but it is a day for the Mongolians to be proud of their heritage and their culture. The Naadam festival in Ulaanbaatar enables the public to see the colorful festivities, parades, cultural events, evening shows, and traditional sports, while the festivals of the countryside encourage the tourists to participate and to mix up with their local people. This festival is not all bout sports in this tourist also try traditional meals and drinks like “Airag” milk from the fermented mare, see the trade-in Naadam and buy souvenirs, etc. The Mongolian Naadam festival is integrally related to the Mongols’ nomadic civilization.
Who organizes the Naadam festival?
The government budget finances the State Naadam. The local Naadams fund local governments and community financing. Each town and province holds a Naadam Festival of its own. In the nation, there are approximately 22,400 wrestlers, 105,000 horses run by child jockeys, and 9,500 archers.
Swikriti Dandotia
