3671(II)_Naadam: Great National Festival 2015

July 14, 2015

By Fr. Anthony Kishore Minj, SDB

Ulan Baator, Mongolia, July 11-13 - Mongolia, the land of blue sky recently celebrated the national great festival called Naadam (literally, it means “Games”). Every year, the ceremony begins at the city center called Sukhbaatar square and then, entire assembly marches towards the national stadium.

The great Naadam began on July 11 with a grand opening ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, parades, musicians, the Mongolian President’s speech and cultural exhibitions.

Soon after the ceremony, the competitions began. The games include three types of games for men: wrestling, horse race, and archery.

The wrestling was held on the stadium for three days. A wrestler chooses his own opponent and can eliminate him in the first meet. The game can last for nine or ten rounds. In traditional wrestling there is no time limit. A wrestler loses if he touches the ground with any part of his body other than his feet or hand. Wrestlers usually wear two-piece costumes consisting of a tight shoulder vest and shorts called zudod and shuudag in Mongolian language. Only men can participate in this event. Those men who reach 7 to 8 rounds earn a title called Zaan (Elephant) and the winner of the 9th or 10th stage is called Arslan (Lion). If one wins Arslans twice, he is called a Titan or Avraga (champion) which is a national award.

The other two—horse race and archery—are organized in each province of Mongolia which last for a week.

In the horse race category, only children aged 13 and below can participate. The top five horses earn the title of airgiyn tav, while the top three are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. Up to 1,000 horses can be chosen for the race from any parts of Mongolia. The winning jockey is praised with the title of tumny ekh or leader of ten thousand. This is traditional title taken from the time of Chingiz Khan, the great Mongol Emperor. Traditional songs and music are played before and after the race in honor of horses and jockeys.

In the archery, both men and women participate. This is played by teams of ten. Each archer is given four arrows. The team must hit 33 surs (this is a small woven or wooden cylinder). Men shoot their arrows from 75 meters away while women shoot theirs from 65 meters away. Surs are placed on top of another forming a wall, which is approximately 8 inches high by 5 feet wide. 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."

The great Mongols greet each in this season saying,'' Saihaan Naadarai'' (Play well) or Saihaan bayarlaarai (celebrate well). The traditional food served at this festival is called Huusuur (meat dumplings). The markets are full with traditional wear. The whole country looks very colorful as everyone uses their traditional attire. This is indeed a colorful celebration, which brings joy and smile in every Mongolian people.