Naadam Festival

On July 11, the national, Naadam festival kicked off. These festivals were held traditionally during the Mongol empire as a chance to bring everyone back from the far reaches of the empire, giving them a chance to compete in their traditional games. The festival was begun again when Mongolia regained its independence from China, during the past century. The festival goes on for a few days, with horse racing, wrestling, and archery. I only saw the opening ceremonies at the big Naadam stadium on the 11 with Rachel and a group of other friends as kind of a farewell weekend for her. The day was hot, with rain threatening, but thankfully we stayed dry!

The ceremonies proved to be a long, leisurely affair. There were contortionists performing in giant, wheeled flowers, and an introduction by the president, resplendent in his traditional dress. Dancers and shamans performed. The royal guard horsemen entered and circled the stadium to rousing applause. The Beijiing ’08 Olympic national team was introduced. All in all, it was a nationalistic celebration of all things Mongolian.

Finally, we decided to go back outside to check out the food stands and other stalls. Chris informed us that eating õóóøóóð (hoshor= a thin slice of meat fried in between two layers of batter), was a necessary part of the Naadam experience so we waited one hour for grossly overpriced food. Still, it was a good time, and while we waited and chatted we were able to meet some other folks we knew.

We were all surprised by the large amount of foreigners present at the festival. It appears some people center their Mongolian travel plans around the Naadam festival. A few of my students sent me text messages on my phone, wishing me a happy celebration.

After we ate, we met Ariuna, a friend of ours who was competing in the women’s archery and we followed her to cheer her on and watch some archers competing. Afterwards, we caught a bus home, quickly finished packing up our things, and headed out to the countryside to stay in a ger camp (something like staying in cabins at home) for a couple of nights as a last hurrah for Rachel.

People were concerned that there may be another outbreak of the unprecedented violence surrounding the election, once the festival was over, but thankfully those fears have proved unfounded. While the organization of the next government still has not finalized, life in general is continuing much the same.