Naadam Festival
01 · Historical Records
Nadam originated in the early period of the founding of the Mongol Khanate; as early as 1206 AD, when Genghis Khan was proclaimed Great Khan of the Mongols, a grand Nadam was held.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Nadam is a traditional mass festival of the Mongolian people; the Nadam of Xilingol League is the representative one. Nadam fairs are mostly held in July or August, when the grass is lush and the cattle and sheep are fat. The Nadam festivals of ancient and modern times alike feature competitions in the three skills of men — wrestling, horse racing, and archery. In addition to the men's three skills, contemporary Nadam fairs have added new content such as polo, equestrian events, track and field, ball games, and performances by Ulan Muqir troupes, together with commodity exchange fairs and commendations for the advanced. Today, the Nadam held in the Xilingol League region has become an important activity for public fitness and mass entertainment. Wrestling is an important event of Nadam. According to traditional Mongolian custom, wrestlers are not restricted by region or weight; a knockout system is used, with a single fall deciding victory or defeat. Before the competition begins, an elder of the clan is first chosen to arrange and pair the athletes. After the Mongolian long-tune Wrestler's Song has been sung three times, the wrestlers wave both arms and enter dancing the eagle dance, salute the rostrum, and turn once in a clockwise circle; the referee then gives the order, the two competitors shake hands in greeting, and the match begins. Whoever touches the ground with any part of the body above the knee loses, and every competitor receives a prize. Every Nadam fair also holds events such as horse racing and archery. Horse racing falls into three types: speed racing (running horses), pacing horses, and bobbing horses. Participants are sometimes all youths and sometimes of all ages; it has a broad mass character. Mongolian archery is divided into two kinds: static shooting and mounted shooting. In static shooting the archer stands on the ground and, when the referee gives the order, looses an arrow toward the target, the best shot winning; in mounted shooting the archer rides a horse and looses arrows while the horse is running, the best shot winning. Nadam has a history of nearly eight hundred years; it has been transmitted and developed on the Xilingol grasslands throughout, is deeply loved by the people of all ethnic groups, and has become an important vehicle of Mongolian cultural tradition. The activities of Nadam are displays of strength and beauty, contests of physical ability and wisdom, and competitions of speed and endurance, fairly comprehensively demonstrating the overall qualities of the people living on the grasslands.
Three sung verses and the eagle dance entry
An elder of the clan pairs the wrestlers, then three verses of the wrestling song are sung before the wrestlers enter with an eagle dance and salute the stand.
Single-fall elimination bouts
No regional or weight limits; the wrestlers shake hands, and any part above the knee touching the ground decides the fall, with every entrant awarded.
Racing, pacing and jostling on horseback
Horse events fall into three kinds: flat-out racing, measured pacing, and the rough-riding test, open to youth alone or to all ages.
Target archery and horseback archery
Archers either stand and loose on the signal, or loose from a galloping horse, judged on a single shot.
Trade fair and honours ceremony
Besides the contests, a goods exchange and public recognition of advanced workers turned the gathering into fitness, trade and honour in one day.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Nadam is held in separate districts across Xilingol League; each banner and county arranges its schedule according to its own pastures and herds, often staggered across the season, so that all summer long the grasslands rise and fall with one fair after another. The shared foundation is the three skills — wrestling, horse racing, and archery — and none may omit them; each place's emphasis differs according to pasture and population: where horse herding is plentiful, more racing events are held; where strong wrestlers gather, the wrestling season is packed more densely; and archery is often held alongside oboo sacrifices. Local Nadam is no longer confined to the three skills; polo, equestrian events, track and field, and ball games have been added in turn, performances by Ulan Muqir troupes are interspersed at the venue, and the close of each fair sets up a commodity exchange fair and commendations for the advanced, binding competition, market, and honor together in one event. Participation has no threshold: wrestlers are not restricted by region or weight, and although a single-fall knockout system is used, everyone receives a prize. In this way Nadam has become the shared annual festival of every tribe, young and old alike.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Naadam Festival · Naadam Festival.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Excavating, rescuing, and protecting Nadam is of important value for the enrichment and improvement of the history of sport in China and, indeed, the world.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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