The Naadam Festival of Manly Sports
naadam, the `manly games´ or suur-kharbaan as
it is called in Buryatya is a festival of the three mayor traditional
sports in Mongolia: wrestling, horse racing and archery. It
is the biggest event in Mongolia´s public life. All over the
countryside small naadams are celebrated and in the first part
of July (11, 12 and 13) the national naadam in Ulaanbaatar is
celebrated. The three day event brings all the best sportsmen
from over the country to Ulaanbaatar.
It is the most widely watched festival in the
country, and is believed to have existed for centuries in one
fashion or another. Originally it was a religious festival as
an annual sacrificial ritual honouring various
mountain gods and to celebrate a community endeavour. Now it
formally commemorates the 1921 revolution when Mongolia declared
itself a free country. The 2006 National Naadam was introduced
as the as the 85th Anniversary of the revolution and the 800th
celebration of Mongolian Statehood.
Buryatya
Humphrey describes how suur-kharbaan, the Buryat equivalent
of naadam, was very much secularised by the communist. At first
being a ritualised archery competition, accompanied by other the other
main traditional sports wrestling and horse racing, being held near
an ovoo, it is reshaped into a `combination…of sports day
and prizegiving´ (Humphrey 1983: 380).
Also within Buryatya there was a great variety of practises. In some
regions the festival would have very much been under Lamaist influence,
while in other parts it would be more of `a local affair´ (Humphrey
1983: 381).
Since 1924 the festival has been held every year on the first Sunday
in July as a commemoration of the founding of the Buryat republic. Like
in the Mongolian republic there is one big celebration in the stadium
of the capital, being Ulan Ude and smaller versions in the country.
But in Buryatya these are simultaneously, while in the other Mongolian
regions they are sometimes held on different times (Humphrey 1983: 381).
With the Daur Mongolians there might also at other occasions held a
festival of “manly games”, for instance after a large ovoo
ritual was performed (Humphrey & Onon 1996: 148).
Khalkha
Humphrey refers also to the study of Kabzinska-Stawarz on `manly games´
among Khalkha Mongolians. This study supports the idea that the `manly
games´ and with that the ovoo rituals where to support the tie
between man and there land. In some behaviour of the wrestlers this
is shown. The earth is touched before and after a fight, and even rubbed
to gain strength from it. The winner throws milk foods towards the spectators,
the ovoo, the mountains and the sky after he first has touched
it with his forehead. In this with way he share the victory with them,
and it is said it would give the whole population strength (Humphrey
& Onon 1996: 151). According Kabzinska-Stawarz games always
had a purpose and where never just leisure. Even a kid’s game with the
ankle-bones of an animal, was symbolizing the milking of different animals
and thus increasing the amount of dairy products and wealth.
Edited version from: A Fire On
The Steppes: Religion and public celebrations of Greater Mongolia.
