🎉 Naadam is here!

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Happy Naadam! We hope you enjoy the first day of Naadam festivities and experience our culture and traditions to the fullest. 

🤔 DID YOU KNOW?

🎉 NAADAM FESTIVAL 2022

Finally… 

As Naadam could not be held for the past two years due to the pandemic, this year’s festival will celebrate both the 2230th and 2231st Anniversary of Mongolia’s First Statehood, the 815th and 816th Anniversary of the Great Mongol Empire, 110th and 111th Anniversary of the Independence of Mongolia, and the 100th and 101st Anniversary of the Mongolian People’s Revolution of 1921. 

After successful vaccination campaigns and various quarantine measures, Mongolia is now fully open and welcomes tourists to enjoy the Naadam festival, which will be held from July 11 up to July 13.

This year’s Naadam festival will include: 

• Opening and closing ceremony of the festival at the national stadium

• The state concert

• An exhibition of fine arts - "The Beautiful Mongolia"

• A photography exhibition - "Mongolian Pride"

• special concert for tourists

• Culture festival

• A military parade by state soldiers

Choose what you like!

Many more concerts, exhibitions and ceremonies will be held both before and during Naadam, so be sure to visit this page to get the full itinerary and attend the events that interest you most! 

🤓 NAADAM FUN FACTS

Before you read further, watch this video first to get a general idea of what Naadam is. 😉

The lucky sweat

During the Naadam horse race, some spectators seek after the dust thrown up by the horses. After the race has ended, people also tend to crowd the winning five horses to touch their sweat. These practices are rooted in the belief that touching the fastest racehorses’ dust or sweat will allow people to connect to the spirit of the strongest horses and bring good fortune for the upcoming year. 

Origins of Mongolian wrestling 

Mongolian wrestling reportedly originated over seven thousand years ago, around the time when bears were hunted single-handedly. Researchers suggest that the activity first came about from hunters reenacting how they tackled and fought bears at celebration ceremonies. 

Wrestling the uncomplicated way

Mongolian wrestling has no classifications based on age or weight, and all wrestlers compete under the same category. Balance and agility are considered more important than just mere strength - you can witness small and short guys defeat enormous men thanks to their maneuvering skills and speed.

The three styles of archery

The three main archery styles in Mongolia are Buriat, Uriankhai and Khalk. The national title-winning archery is Khalkh archery as the shooting distance is the furthest and it is standardised by age and gender. The other two styles are considered national heritage styles.

• Buriad - both male and female competitors shoot at a target from a distance of 30 to 45 meters.

• Uriankhai - only male archers shoot from a distance of 30 or 40 meters.

• Khalkh - the national title-winning style where the distance of the target is the furthest. 

There’s a fourth game

Although Naadam is called the “the three games of men”, it also includes a fourth game, Mongolian ankle bone shooting,  which was officially declared as one of the festival’s main sports competitions in 1998. It’s a game played with ankle bones from sheep or goats by teams of six to eight people.

🏃‍♀️ QUICK STORIES

📌 Naadam 2022 to be celebrated under the title “Mongolian pride”. The organizers of the festival are aiming to focus the opening ceremony on Mongolia’s achievements, heritage, unique traditions and rituals, while the closing ceremony is set to include a drone show.

📌 4th thermal power plant capacity expanded by 89MW. This is an amount of electricity that could easily supply as many as 10 provinces at once. The expansion is expected to decrease Mongolia’s electricity imports from Russia by 50%.

📌 Mongolia’s coal exports reach 8.1 million tons in first half of 2022. Most of it was transported by road, unlike iron ore and concentrate, 95% of which was exported by rail. From the beginning of the year, Mongolia exported 1,750 thousand tons of iron ore and concentrate.

📌 Mongolian Prime Minister holds official talks with Singaporean counterpart. During the talks, the respective governments decided to increase the scope of collaboration, with Singapore agreeing to provide the Mongolian government support in various projects. 

🥟 GLIMPSE OF MONGOLIA

Khuushuur, a fried dumpling dish, is a staple Naadam food for any Mongolian. Usually made with either ground beef or mutton and seasoned with garlic and onions, this mouthwatering concoction can be found at any of the hundreds of food stands near the national stadium or at Khui Doloon Khudag during the festival. Remember to eat this dish with your hands, as Mongolians believe it helps to get rid of gas from your body and thereby prevent illnesses.

1. Mongolia: Wrestling With Modernization. (The Diplomat)

2. Official program of events for National Naadam Festival 2022. (MONTSAME)

3. Mongolian Parliament backs transfer of state-owned companies to public control. (EU Reporter) 

4. The government announces 2023-2024 as ‘Visit Mongolia’ year. (MONTSAME)

5. Mongolian band The HU announce sophomore album “Rumble of Thunder” and premiere new video “Black Thunder”. (Chaos) 

6. ‘Mongolian Steel Complex-I’ project to satisfy 50 percent of domestic needs of steel. (MONTSAME)

7. Mongolia and Israel sign bilateral program to boost cultural cooperation. (The Jerusalem Post) 

8. Fascinating tourist routes in Ulaanbaatar. (MONTSAME)