Naadam Festival: Seeing It All in a Different Light

The biggest event in the Mongolian calendar, and regarded as the nomadic equivalent of the Olympics, the Naadam Festival in Mongolia has gained much interest throughout the international media circle over the past few years. Most is probably already known (and already written) of the Naadam trifecta of 'manly sports' that is wrestling, archery and bareback horse riding.

Background
Naadam is a national festival and is celebrated in every town and village across the country. The biggest is in the capital Ulaanbaatar, with football-sized stadiums being filled to watch the wrestling and archery. Thousands more spectators and contestants turn up to witness the exhilarating and fearless horse racing, situated 50 km west of the city. In other parts of the country, the festival is held on a slightly smaller scale, but nevertheless is the ultimate celebration for all Mongolians. Think of Naadam as a wedding, a music concert and the Grand National, all rolled into one.

A Panoramic View
But that aside, what of the lesser known features of this annual Mongolian spectacle that people don't mention so much? When you're not focusing on the main events, what else is there to see?

It's not that often that people talk about what else they saw or experienced at Naadam, bar the 'manly sports.' Of course this is understandable; the action they serve up is enough to leave people chatting about it for hours to others when they return home. There is so much going on and not enough time to see it all, quite a normal trait for such large-scale festivals. But if you're lucky enough, you might catch a glimpse of something else here and there:

The colours - Traditional Mongolian dress is something to envy: the intricately designed patterns woven in against the wide range of bright, vibrant colours is a feast for the eyes. It is the superior version of the 'Sunday best' with flowery hats to accompany them, adding to the feel of 'a day at the races,' Mongolian style.

Photo shoots - Vogue magazine at Naadam - who would've thought it? A supermodel prancing and pouting on the steppe. A festival originally created for spiritual gatherings, now to be a feature in a glossy international magazine. Red-faced wrestlers in their full regalia (hats, jackets, and speedo-like garments) posing on either side of a slim, long-legged girl who dwarfs both of them; others queuing up in a line to get photos taken with their guest, and a Mongolian woman in traditional dress standing next to the supermodel, looking like an extremely proud mother.

How things are done differently - don't bother to go and search for the 'grandstand' when at the horse racing. What you may eventually notice is that people's horses are their grandstand seats. If you think about it, it all makes sense: what's the point in standing when you could sit on a horse and get a much better view of the comings and goings? And what a view from the saddle - the vast landscape of the steppe with the dark specs of the horses arriving on the horizon, as they gallop over the crest of the hill.

Quirky extras - Some examples of the eccentricity of Naadam include festival-goers having their photos taken whilst posing with stuffed animals in front of faux-fir tree arch, or a lone horse tied to a concrete telegraph post, in a sense the Mongolian equivalent of a parking lot.

New meeting the old
However, amidst all the ancient tradition of the warrior games, there lies a slight sense of modernization creeping in. Food and beverage trucks setting up shop, selling well known drinks; ATM vans parked up that couldn't look more out of place; men and boys on horseback in full traditional mock-up talking into their mobile phones. Even the racing has seen some change, with some young jockeys now wearing crash helmets - some may say the influence of western health and safety measures.

But as Mongolia slowly accepts this new-market culture, there is no doubt that the sense of ancient tradition and national pride fused within the Naadam Festival will ever be overridden by the Mongolian people. It's just too special.

Panoramic Journeys offer unique, tailor-made holidays and small group tours to Mongolia, Bhutan and Burma. These inspirational holidays can be designed to include traditional festivals such as the Naadam Festival, hot air ballooning over the temple strewn plains of Bagan, horse riding through magical, remote landscapes...

Article Source: Christy_Cooke