Naadam
traditional Mongolian festival
Naadam (Mongolian: Наадам, Mongolian script: ᠨᠠᠭᠠᠳᠤᠮ, romanized: Naɣadum, [ˈnaːdəm], lit. 'games') is a traditional festival celebrated in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and Tuva, involving Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" (эрийн гурван наадам, lit. 'the three games of men'), and is held during midsummer.
In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
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 a Biyelgee dance. Traditional cuisine, or Khuushuur, is served around the Sports Stadium along with a special drink made of fermented horse milk (airag). The three standard sports of wrestling, horse racing, and archery are recorded in the 13th-century book The Secret History of the Mongols. During the Qing dynasty's rule, Naadam became a festival officially held by sums.
It began to be held annually in 1639 with a dance festival dedicated to the High Saint Zanabazar.
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