One of the celebrations Mongolians have observed since ancient times is the Naadam festival. Since 1921 it has been held every year on July 11, Revolution Day. Its central events are of course horse racing, archery and wrestling, "Eriin Gurvan Naadam" (the three manly games). It is held every year on July 10 and 11. Naadam is a men's festival, with national competitions in horse racing, wrestling and archery. Men of all ages compete in their skills, staking their pride and honor as nomads. Horse racing takes place over 2 days, with 3 races a day. Horses are divided into classes, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 6-year-olds and over, and stallions only, and compete for speed. The sight of nearly 1,000 horses thundering along a 60 km round-trip course is truly powerful.

• Mongolian Wrestling　　
• It is thrilling to wonder who will win at this year's Naadam festival! All Mongolians love Mongolian wrestling, and both men and women like it, though many more men love it. 512 wrestlers from Mongolia's 21 provinces take part and fight in a tournament format.

  The 8th round (Naimdugaar Davaa) is the semifinal and the 9th round (Yusdugaar Davaa) is the final. Wrestlers who win at Naadam are given a title. Winning at Naadam once earns the title "Arslan" (lion), winning twice "Avarga," and a fifth win "Darkhan Avarga," and once a title is gained it is never lost. Many who reach the higher titles become entertainers or politicians. The wrestlers' costume is also worth noting. They fight wearing a long-sleeved, open-chested jacket called a "zodog," short trunks called "shuudag," Mongolian boots with upturned toes (Mongol gutal), and a hat with a tower-like point in the center (janjin malgai).

  

• Mongolian Horse Racing Alongside Mongolian wrestling, another important pleasure of Naadam is horse racing. The races are held by class: "Azarga (stallions)," "Ikh nas (6 years and older)," "Soyolon (5-year-olds)," "Khyazaalan (4-year-olds)," "Shudlen (3-year-olds)," "Daaga (2-year-olds)" and "Jorlmori (pacing horses)." Mongolian horses are short with short legs and are said to excel at long-distance running. Hundreds of horses race long distances, from 15 km for 2-year-olds to over 30 km for Ikh nas. In each race the top five horses are called "airag," and verses praising the horse are chanted and airag is sprinkled on it in blessing. It is also said to bring good luck to be covered in the dust of the race or to touch the sweat of the winning horse. The jockeys in Mongolian horse racing are boys and girls aged 6 to 12. This shows the Mongolians' pride in being "raised on horseback," but also lightens the burden on the horse and lets it run faster. Before the race starts, the jockeys sing a melody called Giingoo to encourage the horses. It is also a signal to the horses, and a pleasant tension spreads across the steppe. The most popular race is the 2-year-olds'. The leading five horses are called airag,

  
  • Mongolian Archery

  • The other competition of Naadam is archery. The shooting distance is 75 m for men and 65 m for women, and for those 17 and under it is calculated as age × 4 m for boys and age × 3 m for girls. The bows are 120 cm to 170 cm long, made with a bamboo core, with deer horn glued on to increase strength and both ends finished with birch. Arrows are about 1 m long, made of birch or willow-family deciduous trees, with eagle and other feathers at the back. Arrowheads use deer bone, and the targets are made by stacking surs, made from tanned cow or horse hide. They are round, about 8 cm high. A stack piled like a wall is called khana sur, and 30 surs arranged in two layers of 24 with 3 more on either side is called khasaa sur. There are individual and team events. In the individual event, adult men shoot 20 arrows at khana sur and 20 at khasaa sur, 40 arrows in all, women shoot 20 at khana sur and 16 at khasaa sur, 36 arrows in all, and those 17 and under, both boys and girls, shoot 20 arrows at khana sur and compete on hits. There are lines behind and 3 m in front of the target, and when a shooter's arrow hits the target, they call out "Uukhai!" to announce it. Spectators also enjoy calling "Hit!" and "So close!"