During the three days, Mongolians and tourists from all over enjoyed traditional dance and song performances and participated in exciting traditional races and games.
Naadam in Mongolian means “game”, held since the time of Genghis Khan. According to ancient documents, the origin of the festival comes from the parades and hunting games of ancient soldiers.
Naadam is celebrated across the steppe but the biggest festival is in the capital city of Ulanbaatar. Mongolians eagerly await this festival and dress up in their most colorful traditional costumes to attend.
To attend the festival, people drive cars or ride horses to the venue. Usually, there are three main games in the festival: wrestling, horse riding and archery. In 2010, Naadam was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of the world.
Like all festivals, Naadam begins with a ceremonial part. Dancers and musicians play music while athletes ride horses around the main stadium in the capital. After this ceremony, the real festivities begin.
The main games played during Naadam are mainly to demonstrate the strength and masculinity of men. Some other games are open to women, except wrestling.
More than 1,000 gladiators will step onto the square, waving their arms, imitating the wings of eagles and performing traditional dances. Songs praising their prowess will be played throughout the stadium.
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Attending this festival, visitors can not only watch interesting performances but also enjoy traditional Mongolian dishes such as khuuurshuur, a type of Mongolian fried dumpling, goat yogurt, traditional tea...
