Another successful "NOMADS
DAY" Festival 2007 at Steppe Nomads
The 3rd annual "Nomads Day Festival"
took place on the same 17-18 September 2007 in the same
amazing venue the Gun-Galuut nature reserve. The Nomads'
Day festival is dedicated to reviving this unsurpassed
cultural heritage and inheriting it to the young generation
and extending Mongolian short tourist season as well.
The number of participants is increasing year by year
and this time, 5 teams of local nomads and 4 teams of
tourists took part in the various competitions and over
60 foreign visitors and many officials and media delegations
witnessed the great event with us. Last year it was 3
nomadic teams and 2 tourists team competing in relevant
competitions. Over 30 horse racers from 5 different Soums
of Tuv province and 1 Soum of Khentii province took part
in the horse racing of the Naadam festival. 32 strong
men wrestled while 28 archers of 2 teams checked their
marksmanship in the archery competition. This year's Mongolian
Image beautiful rider couples competition attracted lots
of attention as "singing" task was added to
the challenges. "Melodies of the Steppes" concert
was organized as a music competition among local nomads
this time and it was a success! 6 music groups from 6
Soums of Tuv province competed with 20 minutes programme
each and was judged by some well-known artists, an organizer
and a representative from the visitors. The musical teams
were aged between 6 to 70 years old and were all so wonderful.
The Governor's Office of Bayandelger Soum of Tuv province,
Gun-Galuut Community Association, Selena
Travel LLC and Steppe Nomads Tourist Camp organized
this festival jointly as a tradition. Mr. Sukhbaatar Shirchin,
vice Justice minister and a native of Bayandelger Soum,
emphasized in his speech that this festival is great in
many ways and is a big support for preserving Mongolian
nomadic customs and traditions and was happy to see his
native Soum is doing a lot for this great event.
The peaks of the festival were: "The
Nomads' Day" - nomadic cultural competition among
the local nomadic groups and the "Shuvuun Saaral"
mini Naadam - a smaller version of traditional Mongolian
games including wrestling, horse racing and archery.
Folk art competition "Great Steppes
Melodies" among the local music bands, "Beauty
of the Steppes" contest of beautiful rider couples
and fun "Cosmopolitan Guys" competition among
the tourists cheered the spectators a lot as before.
Horsemen Show held among the nomadic
spectators that included catching horse with a horse catching
pole called Uurga, breaking in a horse, grabbing Uurga
from the ground at full gallop and many other interesting
horsemen skills was a favorite of both foreign and Mongolian
spectators.
This year, 5 local nomadic teams competed
in the Nomads' Day nomadic cultural competition and Gray
Horse team of Baganuur topped for showing their knowledge
and skills. 5 tasks of traditional nomadic customs including
using traditional means of transport such as yak cart,
camel cart etc, building their gers in the shortest time
and welcoming the guests for tea, male members catching
and breaking in horses, female members making ropes with
camel wool and collecting dungs for fire and little members
playing traditional Mongolian game Shagai to show their
mental capacities were performed.
Last year's champions came last to everyone's
surprise. 5 music groups from 4 different soums took part
in the Steppe Melodies folk art competition and Dance
Dance group from Baganuur won with their magnificent dances
and songs. The groups were to perform a song, a dance,
a musical performance and another art within 5 minutes.
Urse and Dolphin from Switzerland took the 1st prize
among 6 teams competed in Metropolitan Guys tourists'
competition. Effervescent Swiss girl Dolphin saddled a
Mongolian horse within 35 sec leaving 5 guys behind, and
Swiss guy Urse collected the most dungs in 20 seconds
and topped 1 guy and 4 women, who performed the "ladies'
duty".
Rider couple from Bayandelger Mr. Altansukh
and Mrs. Togsjargal showed their talents and won in the
Beauty of the Steppes.
32 strong wrestlers took part in the
wrestling and Enkh-Ochirkhuyag of Baganuur won. Last year,
16 wrestlers took part in the competition.
Archery attracted more people this year
as the archers competed with Khalkha archery, one of the
most challenging archery of the Mongols. The archers competed
in teams and Asian Wolves from Baganuur won.
Horse racing was for 5 year old horses,
considered to be the fastest and the smartest of all horses.
Horse racer from Bayandelger Monkhbat won in the race
with his marvelous chestnut horse.
In the evening of 18 Sep, guests enjoyed
"Delicacies for Genghis" gala dinner at Steppe
Nomads camp. Everyone admired steppe delicacies and took
pictures with the competition winners for their inspiring
Mongolian memories.
