Mongolia Festivals
2010 / 2011

Last Update: 30th June 2010.

Tsagaan Sar, Traditional Mongolian New Year

14th – 16th Feb 2010 / TBA 2011

Tsaagan Sar, Traditional New Year, Mongolia

The festival of the lunar New Year, Tsagaan Sar or ‘White Month’, is celebrated around February. The exact date is dependent upon the Mongolian lunar calendar. The festival is one of Mongolia’s two major holidays, marking the passing of winter and the arrival of spring. Although the festival can be celebrated in Ulaanbaatar, it is best enjoyed with traditional Mongolian families living away from the city. Here, the celebrations can last for much longer than the allotted three days.

To mark the festival, Mongolians purge their bodies and minds of all that is bad and start their lives afresh. They express respect to their elders, relatives and friends, reconfirming their social bonds. Families gather together, to celebrate and eat traditional food such as buuz (meat dumplings), uuts (grilled sheep’s tail), Ul boov (pastry), yaks milk and rice.

Mongolians will prepare for the feasting of Tsagaan Sar many weeks in advance, buying and preparing food, cleaning and decorating their gers. Many Mongolian people will be sporting fresh, new deels, (traditional Mongolian dress costumes), around the time of the festival.

Bituun is the evening before lunar New Year, a kind of lunar New Year’s Eve. Mongolians believe that if you begin the New Year with a full stomach, then good things will surely follow. Families will stay up late into the night feasting on food until their stomachs are full.

On the first official day of Tsagaan Sar Mongolians will rise early to watch the rising sun and take their first steps of the new year. They may visit an ovoo, a traditional shamanistic cairn found throughout the countryside. It is traditional to circle the ovoo three times clockwise and offer a prayer to the heavens.

From here they will go to visit their closest family members, usually in order of age, offering the traditional Tsagaan Sar greeting. The second eldest member of the family will stand arms outstretched, palms upwards and covered by a khadag, (a piece of blue silk), then will grasp their elder’s elbows supportively, and then the two will touch their cheeks together. This continues until everybody has been greeted in order of age, and all gifts are exchanged. The value of gifts is unimportant to the ceremony; consideration is the important factor. Traditionally older people are offered khadags and younger people sweets, according to custom strong drinks are only offered to the over 40’s.

People will sing songs and play games in their gers as they welcome and greet their guests. It is considered rude if you refuse to demonstrate your singing talent when offered a drink by your host. Following greetings, more food is placed on the tables and the eating and drinking starts over.

During the second day of Tsagaan Sar, Mongolians will visit their friends houses, continuing the process of greetings, eating and drinking. On the third day they workplaces will gather together. This continues, traditionally for fifteen days, but generally only three days in the city.

Tsagaan Sar is a religious festival and is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

International Women’s Day

8th Mar 2010 / 8th Mar 2011

International Women’s Day is an official public holiday in Mongolia. It celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Mothers’ and Children’s Day

1st Jun 2010 / 1st Jun 2011

In Mongolia, Mother's and Children's Day, is a celebration and show appreciation for mothers and children all across the country. In all honesty, the celebrations focus far more on the children than the mothers. In previous years, families would gather at the park in Ulaanbaatar, which became a veritable children’s heaven. Recently the park has been closed, whilst an improved facility is ‘under construction’, so families now travel out of the city or visit places that children find enjoyable, such as the cinema or local toy shops. In some towns and villages there are presentations and speeches delivered in the main square, with local vendors selling traditional Mongolian foods. Mother’s and Children’s Day is an international celebration and is celebrated as a public holiday in Mongolia.

Naadam Festival

11th – 13th Jul 2010 / 11th - 13th Jul 2011

Sheep knucklebone tiddlywinks is gaining rapid popularity! There is no place better, to partake in your first game, than at the famous Naadam festival in Mongolia. The ambience of the place can only be described as electric.

Sheep knucklebone tiddlywinks not for you? Fear not my friend. There are three other ‘manly’ sports that you can observe, compete and ultimately be defeated in. Read on... The single biggest event in Mongolia, known locally as the ‘the three games of men’. The Naadam festival celebrates the three, traditional sports, and much loved pastimes of Mongolia; wrestling, horse racing and archery.

Officially the Naadam festival celebrates Mongolian independence gained during the revolution of 1921. However the usual stories that surround such affairs are true of this event and you may hear romantic tales about the nomadic tribes, coming together once a year, to test their warriors and whatnot.

The Naadam festival is the most widely celebrated event for the Mongolian people, and droves of them descend upon Ulaanbaatar from far and wide. For three days of the year, the normally empty streets of Mongolia become congested by, thousands upon thousands, of people, cars and of course horses.

Families will dress in their finest, most flamboyant deels to attend the events and this presents the perfect opportunity to witness the true glory of the national dress costume. Although, not a part of the traditional dress costume, the spectacle of young ladies, riding horses in the most fabulously long stiletto heels, will make for some interesting photographs to show when you arrive home.

Smaller versions of Naadam are held at villages throughout the country, but the main event occurs in Ulaanbaatar at the National Sports Stadium. Many people choose to spend a day in Ulaanbaatar amongst the maddening crowds and then, the following day, head out to a small village to celebrate the festival in rustic surroundings.

The first two days of the festival, are when all of the events and games occur, the third being reserved for celebrations and merry-making.

Naadam starts with the opening ceremony, the likes of which could rival that of the Olympic Games. Pomp and grandeur are delivered to the audience by teams of traditional musicians and dancers, athletes and military processions. People parade and ride horses wearing traditional Mongolian costumes or dress as warriors from the time of the great Khan.

Some say that there is one other great game of the Naadam festival, the eating and drinking competition. Popular foods amongst spectators are delicious cold meat pancakes (khuurshuur), ice creams, breads and fruit. Tea and fermented mares milk (arak) are popular drinks to wash down the snacks.

Following the opening ceremony the games kick off and continue with the same vigour and anticipation for the duration of the festival. Despite the title, ‘the three games of men’, women are increasingly allowed to participate in events. Older women tend to take part in the archery competition and young girls the horse riding event. Women are not allowed to participate in Mongolian wrestling.

Wrestling

Simply put, Mongolian wrestling has no weight divisions and no time limits. This makes for a very interesting competition where, an unfortunate small wrestler, may be pitted against opponents twice his size.

512 to 1024 wrestlers will meet on the field, in an enormous single elimination tournament that lasts for nine or ten rounds. There is a frenzied atmosphere amongst the crowd as the excitement of the tournament takes hold.

The loser of any one match is the wrestler who falls first, said to be when any part of the body contacts the floor, excluding the hands and feet. Hence a smaller opponent may defeat a larger foe, by employing equal amounts of squirming and cunning, taking the element of surprise and knocking him off balance.

Before and after matches, wrestlers pay tribute to judges and attendants by performing the traditional devekh dance, imitating an eagle as it takes flight.

Honorary titles are given to the winners of a number of rounds:

Five rounds = The Falcon.
Seven rounds = The Elephant.
Overall winner = The Lion.

Archery

For archery events, contestants will dress in Mongolian costume and make use of a traditional bent bow, expertly crafted from horn, bark and wood. Arrows are made from willow branches with flights of vulture feathers. Targets are made from woven leather and are painted grey, with the centre two being red. They are stacked to form the target and resemble a small wall of hula-hoop crisps. On either side of these walls stand the judges who observe and rate every shot, somehow without ever sustaining an injury.

Men fire 40 arrows from the 75m mark and women fire 20 arrows from 60m.The winning archer, or mergen as they are known, is the one who hits the target the most times in a series of successive rounds. As contestants are eliminated, there are fewer archers and targets in each round, and the competition gets increasingly tense.

Horse Racing

The horse racing event is held on the Mongolian steppes, outside Ulaanbaatar. Thousands of people gather on the hillsides at the finish line just outside the city. All hope to catch a glimpse of the winning horse as it speeds across the nearby finish line.

1000 horses are allowed to compete in the riding event, which has no set track or course across the countryside. Distances are set according to the age of the horse, and there are six categories ranging from 15 to 30 km in length.

Typically jockeys average about 9 years old. On asking about this strange sight, the reason most often given outlines the competition as a test of a horse’s stamina and ability, not the skill of the rider. However, as you would expect, jockeys are taken and trained for months prior to the event and horses are fed a special diet to ensure that each performs to the best of their ability on the day.

As the horses ride down into the valley, in the far distance, a trail of dust is all that can be seen billowing behind the leading contenders. Some time passes and the sound of a thousand thundering horses reaches the crowd as they make their way towards their final goal. The atmosphere amongst the crowd reaches fever pitch.

The winning jockey is praised with the title ‘leader of ten thousand’ and subsequently chased by Mongolians eager to obtain some lucky horse sweat.

At the finish line, as traditional song and dance is performed for successful horses, droves of rider less steeds gallop past the crowd. One can’t help but wonder about the fate of the fallen, 9 year old jockeys, out there somewhere on the Mongolian steppes...

The Naadam Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

Independence Day

26th Nov 2010

Mongolia has two Independence day celebrations.

In 1920 the Russians invaded Mongolia and liberated them from occupation by the newly formed Republic of China. To eliminate any future Chinese threat from the Russian border, it was decided to install an independent communist Mongolian government on 11th July 1921. This is now celebrated by the Naadam festival, 11th to 13th July each year. This is the biggest festival in Mongolia, at which, contestants participate in the three manly sports of wrestling, archery and horse riding.

The official public holiday known as 'independence day' is held on November 26th and marks the creation of the Mongolian constitution on that date in 1924. The constitution created the Mongolian People's Republic. In 1992 a new constitution was established and the 'People's Republic' was dropped from the name. However this day is still celebrated as a reminder of life under the shadow of the Soviet Union.

Mongolia Regional Festivals 2010 / 2011

Thousand Camel Festival

16th – 18th Feb 2010

If smelly, foul tempered, spitting animals are your bag, (as they are mine, what could be funnier?), get yourself to the Thousand Camel Festival for hours of fun. The Camel Festival in Dalanzadgad, is held to celebrate the part that the, now endangered, Bactian two-humped camel plays in the lives of the Gobi nomads. Over 1000 camels are gathered to participate in races and camel polo matches. There is a competition for the most beautiful nomad couple on their decorated camel, accompanied by traditional Mongolian musicians and dancing. Pre arranged tours tend to include a visit to the Gobi sand dunes and paleontological sites. The festival allows traveller to experience the herders’ traditional nomadic lifestyle and learn about the Bactian camels, the population of which, has been in decline for the past twelve years.

The Thousand Camel Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Nomadic Expeditions Mongolia

Ice Festival

22nd – 23rd Feb 2010

Khovsgol is a freshwater lake of enormous proportions, it contains water that is fresh enough to drink. The area surrounding the lake is spectacular; alpine forests and enormous mountains stretch out as far as the eye can see. The nearest town is called Khatgal. During the winter it resembles a scene from an old Wild West movie, with boarded up shops and guest houses. The Mongolian Ice Festival is held here just once a year in February and is an event not to be missed!

Tour companies in the area will generally arrange for visitors to stay in local gers with wood burning fires for warmth. These are an absolute necessity at night, when the temperature can drop to -30°C. Often you will find that the wood burners are futile in comparison to the mighty cold draughts, but it is definitely worth your while to make an early return and heat up your ger for the night, and no... the locals will not keep the fire going through the day...

The festival represents a unique opportunity to meet the Tsaatan (Dukha) reindeer people, who come down from the mountains to indulge in the activities. Tsaatan people are nomadic and live in the enormous Taiga Forest. They try to preserve old ways of living, dependent on their reindeers for meat, milk, and hides. Many Tsaatan people still live in yurts crafted from the skins of their animals.

The Ice Festival itself is a relatively low key affair set over two days, but the beautiful scenery more than makes up for the long and arduous journey from Ulaanbaatar. Tourists can indulge in horse and reindeer rides with traditional Mongolian wood saddles, if your bottoms not up to that, take a dog sledge ride over the beautiful lake surface and explore the local area.

Local Mongolian craftsmen dig up blocks of ice from the surface of the lake and create intricate ice sculptures as decoration for the festival; they also make ice slides and ice gers that are worthy of thorough investigation.

To top the festival off there are a number of events to entertain guests, tourists are all too often encouraged to take part. These include sumo wrestling on the ice, an ice skating marathon and traditional Mongolian shamanism, dancing and singing.

Don’t worry too much about the surreal gurgling noises, coming from beneath the lake’s surface; that’ll just be the water shifting and flowing beneath 1 ½ metres of solid ice!

The Mongolian Ice Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Active and Adventure Tours

Tsaatan (Dukha) or Reindeer Festival

1st – 4th Jul 2010

The setting, Lake Khuvsgol, located approximately 130 km north-west of Ulaanbaatar. The area is one of outstanding natural beauty featuring crystal clear waters and breathtaking alpine mountains. Home of the reindeer festival!

Tsaatans live in the high mountains, deep amongst the Taiga forest, where they care for herds of reindeer upon which they rely for their daily staples. A small ethnic minority with shamanic beliefs, the Tsaatan people have their own language known as Tuvan. Only about 44 families now remain in Mongolia. The tribe was separated from counterparts in Southern Siberia, when borders were established in the 1950’s. It is estimated that those 44 families consist of between 200 to 400 people, although there are no official figures upon which to draw.

The Tsaatan people live in traditional nomadic tepees, and survive, making use of the milk, meat and skins from the reindeer herds, although they frequently make use of local game, rather than use the meat of their reindeer. A number of Tsaatan people have set up semi-permanent residence near the edge of the Taiga forest, where they take advantage of the emerging tourist market. Still others have moved to the shores of Lake Khuvsgol.

If you miss the festival in late June / early July, tours can still be arranged, riding on horseback, deep into the Taiga forest to stay amongst the Tsaatan tribe. Tours run by Mongolians out of Ulaanbaatar or Moron, generate no money for Tsaatan families and can sometimes be a cause of resentment. If you do wish to book a tour to the area, we strongly recommend the Itgel Foundation’s Tsaatan Community & Visitors Centre (TCVC) in Tsagaannuur. The foundation ensures that any money made from eco-tourism goes to the Tsaatan tribe. This is used to fund healthcare for the people, veterinary care for the reindeers and scholarships for the children.

The Tsaatan festival features Dhakad folk singing, marching reindeer herds, reindeer riding, reindeer polo, a bonfire festival, shamanic rituals amongst the tepees and numerous presentations about the Tsaatan people and their nomadic lifestyle.

The Tsaatan Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism. Numerous tour operators arrange packages to the region, but the Itgel Foundation’s Tsaatan Community & Visitors Centre is highly recommended.

National Costume Festival

8th Jul 2010

Deel’s are the National dress costume of Mongolia. They are traditionally made from a mixture of silks, textiles and sheep skins that are decorated with embellishments. There are 29 ethnic groups currently living in Mongolia and each has its own style of deel, distinguishable by cut, colour and decoration. The different tribal costumes may be obvious to Mongolian nationals but tend to go unnoticed by western visitors.

Deels are tailored to be comfortable and practical, taking into account occupation, gender, location and of course the time of year. You may also notice that the deels of married women are far more extravagantly decorated than those of their single counterparts.

The National Costume Festival is held annually at Gorhi-Terelj National Park, 65 km east of Ulaanbaatar. The festival is a celebration and exhibition of Mongolian national costume accompanied by folk performances. The festival provides an opportunity to learn about the customs, clothing and dances of various Mongolian minority tribes.

If you are in Mongolia during the National Costume Festival, this would make the perfect opportunity to witness tsam dancing, traditional folk music and the famous Mongolian throat singing (khoomi).

The National Costume Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Juulchin World Tours

Yak Festival

1st – 2nd Aug 2010

Hairy bovines stampede around the Mongolian steppes, a child stands ready with lasso in hand. A long cast into a mass of wreathing bodies, carving their way across the landscape. It strikes home, snaring one of the beasts! The rope goes taught as the young boy prepares to control the huge animal and then... the child is launched from the ground and across the field, spectators rush to the rescue. It’s the yak festival!

Mongolia has the second highest yak population in the world after China, and this is celebrated every year by way of the Mongolian Yak Festival. A short search through Mongolian tour companies will turn up several different results for yak festivals at different locations and at different times, they all seem to follow a fairly similar theme...

The most popular for 2010, and the only one I have found reference to from 2009 is the Yak festival at Khorgo National Park – Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (White Lake of Terkh) , in Arkhangai province of Mongolia. The park and lake are situated approximately 720 km west of Ulaanbaatar. With a good guide or tour operator the festival also presents the chance to visit the popular Orkhon waterfall at Ovorkhangai Aimag. The delightful waterfall only flows in August following the summer rains.

A selection of hot springs and mineral spas can to be found Khujirt, also in Arkhangai province. They make for a great place to stop and have a long soak after a hard days adventuring.

The festival itself is a light-hearted affair and may appeal to people who are generally interested in yaks and their impact upon Mongolian culture. Equally, light-hearted people, happy to be swept along by events, may find the whole affair very amusing.

Entertainment for the festival includes yak racing, quite possibly the slowest form of mounted racing in the world. Spectators gather at the finish line as the yak riders take their mounts off to the starting positions, fifteen minutes later the yaks cross the line barely running at all, having pretty much given up half way. Bets can be placed on the races, for those seeking additional thrills.

Following the adrenaline fuelled excitement of the yak racing a small number of the animals are scared by men on horses and encouraged to run around a field. Contestants stand in the middle of the field with a lasso and cast it into the beasts as they roll obstinately about the countryside. If the contestant is ‘lucky’ his lasso will snare a great beast and he must fight to control the animal, or in the case of small children, they are dragged unceremoniously through the grass as spectators run to their aid. He who fails to snare a beast is cast out of the competition.

The final event of the day and one that is really catching on in Mongolia is yak polo, yes really. Yak polo teams are now emerging far and wide across the land to play organised games. Enough can’t be said about the good times you will have watching the unwieldy beasts lunge across the field as the riders attempt to hit a ball with an elongated hammer. Riders cry out commands to their beasts to control their movement across the field and the yaks don’t pay the slightest bit of attention. Good times!

International New Year's Eve

31st Dec 2010

Although not a traditional Mongolian festival, International New Year was introduced to Mongolia during its Communist period. Today the celebrations centre on the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Sukhbaatar Square is located in the centre of Ulaanbaatar and is generally where people gather to watch the fireworks and enjoy the celebrations.

Ceremony of the Summoning of Spirits of Great Chinggis Khaan’s Imperial Guard

12th Aug 2010

Over 100 Mongolian warriors march on horseback, in a procession across the Mongolian landscape. They are clad from head to toe in traditional Mongolian armour dating back to the 13th century, the time of the Great Khans.

The spectacular scenery remains unbroken save for a few nomadic gers scattered throughout the wonderful surrounds of Gorkhi-Terelj national park. The warriors, supported by over 200 blacksmiths, costume makers and historians, have gathered to teach visiting tourists about the history and traditions of Mongolia during the 13th century. This wondrous event has an equally glorious name, ‘The Ceremony of the Summoning of Spirits of Great Chinggis Khaan’s Imperial Guard’.

Amongst the round, white ger tents, shamans dance and sing. They are busy, set about the task of summoning spirits according to their ancient shamanist traditions. The festival provides the perfect opportunity to engage and learn about, one of the world’s oldest belief systems. Shamanism is still very much present and endures in Mongolia today, despite years of oppression by rival faith systems.

The summoning of spirits is held annually in Gorkhi-Terelj national park, situated approximately 65 km from Ulaanbaatar. Tour operators located in the city, can arrange for travel to the park with a stay in your own private ger tent.

As is usual with such things, the Mongolian hosts are discontent to offer just a fantastic festival. They lay on an open fire feast, for guests to fill themselves with local food and drink and provide local entertainment such as Mongolian wrestling and traditional folk song and dance.

The Summoning of Spirits Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Juulchin World Tours

Gobi Naadam Festival

15th Aug 2010

The Gobi Naadam festival is a smaller version of the Mongolian games held at Khongor sand dunes in the southern Gobi desert. Tourists arriving in Mongolia, too late to witness the spectacle of the games in Ulaanbaatar will be pleased to learn that they can still observe the three sporting events.

The Gobi Naadam festival, allows budding photographers an opportunity to get closer to the action than is possible amongst the raucous crowd in Ulaanbaatar.

ORGANIZER: Selena Travel.

Tsam Dance Festival ‘Gongoriin Bombani Hural’

Aug (Amarbayasgalant) / Sep (Dashchoiling)

*Currently working on more specific dates*

The tsam dance is a Buddhist ceremony for the ten Dharma protectors, who promised to help all sentient beings to gain freedom from suffering. Tsam dancing now features as a part of most Mongolian festivals but to see the real deal (or deel haha) you must attend the spectacular ‘Gongoriin Bombani Hural’ ceremony held at Dashchoiling monastery (in Ulaanbaatar) or Amarbayasgalant Monastery( 70 km west of Darkhan in northern Mongolia, over half a day’s drive from Ulaanbaaatar). The monasteries are opened to the public for the ceremony, allowing you to enter and see the Buddhists monks.

Tsam dancing is a part of the ‘Gongoriin Bombani Hural’ ceremony. It is a special dance performed by Buddhist monks dressed as protective deities. The masks, implements and costumes used in the tsam dance are all made according to ancient tradition and are blessed by a high lama to ensure that they become effective instruments of the represented deity.

Before any Tsam dance the performing monks must meditate for many days, after an inspection by other Buddhist monks they may be deemed ready to perform the rites.

During the tsam dance, seven concentric circles are drawn on the ground at the centre of which is a small felt tent containing offerings to the deities. Performers circle the small tent to clear them of inner and outer obstacles. These obstacles are believed to be the cause of all suffering to sentient beings. It is believed by Buddhists that this is the route to peace and happiness.

That evening another ceremony called Sor Zalakh occurs which involves blessed barley is thrown into a brazier to burn. This ceremony protects the Dharma and removes all of the obstacles of Buddhism.

Nomads Day Festival

Sep 17th – 18th 2010

Do you have a thing for interior design? Passionate about D.I.Y? Can’t miss an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Forget about that trip to your local hardware store, get yourself over to Mongolia for the annual Nomads Day festival and see how these things are really done!

Gun-Galuut nature reserve, Tuv Province is home to many species of rare and endangered animals, this barely catalogued sanctum of wildlife is also home to the Steppes Nomad Camp.

Built and maintained by the Selena Travel tour group, the camp is located 2 hours drive from Ulaanbaatar. The journey consists of 113km of ‘good’ paved roads followed by 17km of, what estate agents would call, ‘traditional’ roads. You or I would call them mud, potholes and then some more mud and then lots more potholes. Hold onto your teeth! The Nomad festival itself provides a fantastic insight into the Nomadic lifestyle, coupled with this, the following day a mini Naadam festival is held, allowing visitors the opportunity to experience the thrill of the Mongolian games.

Upon arrival, you should be rather pleasantly surprised to see how many Mongolian people attend the event. Tourist crowds are frequently in the minority and consequently the festival feels more traditional than tourist trap. This can only be a good thing.

The crowds are encouraged to form groups and participate in the day’s events, these come as a series of competitions. The more difficult tasks are performed by competing groups of nomads, but the simpler tasks, disassembling gers and making tea for example, are activities for the tourist groups to enjoy.

Competitions include:

How to load and transport a ger by camel or horse.
How to reassemble a ger, upon arrival, at a destination of your choosing.
How to furnish a ger and provide tourists with milky tea for their refreshment break.

In the afternoon the crowd are able to learn more about the nomads and settle down to watch the horse taming demonstrations. Mongolian riders compete in a demonstration of amazing agility, as their horses scream across the beautiful landscape, riders lean over in their saddle and scoop lassos’ off the ground. To reward their efforts they are then presented with wild horses that they must capture and tame. All in all, the festival makes for a rewarding and enjoyable day of active participation.

The Nomads Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Selena travel

Golden Eagle Festival

Oct 2nd – 3rd 2010

The town of Ulgii lies in the far Northwest of Mongolia. A Kazakh calls to his horse, ‘Chu’. He speeds across the mountainous countryside, a fox skin lure bouncing behind tethered to the saddle by a length of rope. A golden eagle spreads its wings and swoops down from the Cliffside high above; its eyes are locked on the fox skin lure. The eagle dives, sinking its talons into the skin of the lure and tearing it free. Nearby, a panel of Mongolians and Simon Cowell, watch the spectacle and award points based on speed and agility. This annual gathering of Kazakhs is known as Mongolia’s Golden Eagle festival and has become increasingly popular with tourists.

Today, the festival is held to promote preservation of the Golden Eagles and maintain the customs of the Kazakhs of the Altai Mountains. The birds are trained to hunt for rabbits and foxes for their Kazakh masters. Golden eagles are impressive animals, with a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet they weigh in at an impressive 6.5 kg and can fly at speeds of 20 mph. With eyesight, eight times as powerful as a human, the eagles can spot a rabbit at a distance of a mile and a half. Females of the species are the preferred hunters, weighing a third more than their male counterparts; they are much more aggressive than the males.

Day one of the festival starts with a parade of Kazakhs in their full traditional regalia. They are mounted on horses with one arm outstretched, a Golden Eagle perched in situ. They are judged according to the splendour of their dress costumes and hunting accessories.

In the afternoon a competition for the fastest eagle is held about 20km outside the town. The eagle is perched on the mountainside and the Kazakhs take turns galloping away across the landscape, a call is made to the bird and it must fly to its master landing on an outstretched arm. This is a timed event with points awarded for the speed and agility of the bird in flight.

On Day two the eagles submit to a test of their hunting ability. The Eagle perched high on the mountain must swoop down, capturing a lure trailing behind its galloping master. Some of the eagles are put off by the watching crowd and stream of dust, whilst others go straight for the ‘kill’.

In addition to the eagle hunting contests, the Kazakh participants play a game known locally as kekbar. Two teams vie against each other, attempting to pass a goat skin across to their side of the field. The winner of this event is allowed to throw the skin into a gher of his choice. The ‘fortunate’ recipient, blessed with an unexpected goat skin lobbed through their front door, is expected to host a party for the participants in the evening.

During the afternoon of day two the points are tallied and the winners are declared at an award ceremony. Ulgii town is located in Bayan-Olgii province of north-west Mongolia.

The Golden Eagle Festival is officially accredited by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism.

ORGANIZER: Blue Wolf Travel

Useful links

Disclaimer

Public holidays are subject to change, astrological interpretation, and regional variation. To the best of our knowledge the information provided is accurate, and has been thoroughly researched. However, the information provided is only a guide, we will take no responsibility for any loss arising from its use. Mongolian festivals are particularly subject to this disclaimer and dates should be thoroughly researched and discussed with tour operators.

Mongolia Festivals
2010 / 2011

Tsagaan Sar, Traditional Mongolian New Year

International Women’s Day

Mothers’ and Children’s Day