Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and thrashed her male competitors. In order to prevent such an embarrassing episode
from happening again, the wrestling jacket was redesigned with an open chest, 'expos-
ing' any would-be female contenders.
The Archery
After the horse races and wrestling, the third sport of naadam is archery, which is per-
formed by both men and women. Archers use a bent composite bow made of layered
horn, bark and wood. Usually arrows are made from willow and the feathers are from
vultures and other birds of prey. Targets are small leather cylinders placed 4m across and
50cm high. After each shot judges, who stand near the target, emit a short cry called
uukhai
, and raise their hands in the air to indicate the quality of the shot. The first archer
to knock down all his cylinders is the winner of that round.
The website
www.atarn.org
has a number of informative articles on Mongolian arch-
ery.
The Ankle-Bone Shooting
A new Naadam game, added in the 1990s, is ankle-bone shooting. This entails flicking a
square-shaped projectile made of reindeer horn at a small target (about 3m away) made
from ankle bones. It's a sort of Mongolian version of darts. The competition is held in the
Ankle-Bone Shooting Hall near the archery stadium.
COUNTRY OR CITY NAADAM?
Every village and city has a naadam; some (including the one in Ulaanbaatar) are
held on 11 and 12 July, coinciding with Independence Day. Other rural naadams are
held a few days before or after this date, so some planning is required if you want
to see one. Once you find one, hunker down, as shops and restaurants close and
transport grinds to a halt.
If you must choose between a city naadam or a country one, choose the latter.
Country naadams are friendlier, more photogenic and actually easier from a logist-
ical point of view (you won't have to deal with big crowds or traffic). These smaller
festivals also feel more authentic and traditional although they too are showing
signs of modernising.
Naadam in Ulaanbaatar has all the trappings of a big sporting event, with jostling
crowds, souvenir salesmen, traffic and screeching loudspeakers. Most locals will
simply watch the events at home on TV. Although it's less intimate than small
naadams, it is nice to see Ulaanbaatar in a more relaxed mood with plenty of asso-
ciated concerts and theatre events.
