Naadam Festival

The Naadam Festival is held in Mongolia during its National holiday and is celebrated over 3 days during July. It is known as the “manly games” or the “3 games of men”, despite women now being permitted to take part in the horseracing and archery. The three manly games that are referred to are archery, horseracing and wrestling, these three feats being considered the most important to a Mongolian warrior. Wrestling still remains an entirely manly affair – except perhaps for the outfits worn which resemble a bikini worn backwards.

The Naadam Festival is the most widely enjoyed festival throughout Mongolia and is celebrated throughout Mongolia and in regions of China with large Mongolian populations. The origins of the Naadam Festival date back thousands of years and was originally military. Now the festival is in commemoration of the 1921 revolution when Mongolia declared itself a free country from the Republic of China but had to fight until 1945 before gaining International recognition. The largest gathering for Naadam is in the capital of Mongolia - Ulaan Baatar, locals come from miles around to take part in the events or just to dress in their finest and be seen. The first 2 days of the Naadam Festival are typically dedicated to the events involved and the final day is put aside for merry making.

The horseracing is not your typical form and can be held over a distance of 15 – 30 kilometres depending on the age of the horses taking part and is entirely cross country. Mongolians take great pride in their horses and horse riding abilities and these events draw an impressive crowd. The jockeys are typically children, both boys and girls, aged between 5 – 15 years of age and begin training several months before the festival.

The archery is held between teams of ten either men or women and each participant has 4 arrows. There is not 1 but hundreds of targets or “surs”. Men participants’ fire from a range of 75 metres and women from 65 metres, each team must hit 33 surs and the winners are declared the “National Marksmen” or the “National Markswoman”.

The wrestling which is for most the true highlight is held between men of all different shapes and sizes as there are no weight or age restrictions. The aim of Mongolian wrestling is to knock your opponent off balance and pin him to the ground with his elbow and knee to claim victory. The wrestler who does finally claim victory is awarded the title of ‘Avarga’ or Titan.

Additional Information

• Naadam Festival:
• 11th - 13th July 2012

Naadam Festival is available on the following trips

Genghis Khan
13 Days

Naadam Festival
13 Days