ABOUT NAURYZ FESTIVAL<hr>The Kazakh New Year’s celebration of Nauryz has been celebrated by Turkic and Iranian people for over 2000 years. It is the biggest holiday in the Kazakh year. The day corresponds to the spring equinox and marks the renewal of life. Typically revolves around visiting family and friends and eating lots of traditional food. Each family starts the day by cleaning their home, then visiting family starting with the oldest relative. At each house, visitors are served a traditional soup (nauryz koje), meat dishes, and kimiz (fermented mare’s milk). Over the course of Nauryz, which usually lasts over 3 days, one may visit as many as 40 homes. On the 21st, Olgii hosts a parade and concert of traditional Kazakh music in the morning in the morning with Kazakh horse games including Kyz Kuar (woman chase), and Kokpar (tug of war on horseback) in the afternoon just outside of the city. A concert is held in the Kazakh National Theatre at night.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fnauryz_bayan_ulgii.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=3f701c40-1efa-4e72-a5b0-32a3754e7965"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Kazakh New Year’s celebration of Nauryz has been celebrated by Turkic and Iranian people for over 2000 years. It is the biggest holiday in the Kazakh year. 

NAURYZ FESTIVAL MONGOLIA

GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL​<hr>During the communist period in Kazakhstan, many Kazakhs fled for Mongolia, settling down in Bayan Ulgii, an area that has been designated for the Kazakhs of Mongolia today. Kazakhs (Altaic Kazakhs or Altai-Kazakhs) living in Bayan-Ölgii Province of Mongolia continue to hunt with eagles today. There are an estimated 250 eagle hunters in the Western Mongolian province. Their falconry custom, so-called ‘horse-riding eagle falconry’, is unique in practice only with trained Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) on horseback. Their hunting target is almost limited to Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) or Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac). In the first week of October, 70 eagle hunters gather for the annual Golden Eagle Festival of Mongolia &nbsp;They use eagles to hunt foxes and hare during the cold winter months when it is easier to see the gold colored foxes against the snow. Many Kazakh traditions have been preserved by the Kazakhs in Mongolia, eagle hunting being amongst them. Although the Kazakh government has made efforts to lure the practitioners of these Kazakh traditions back to Kazakhstan, most Kazakhs have remained in Mongolia. The Golden Eagle Festival has been the largest gathering of eagle hunters and their eagles in the world since it started in 1999 with 70 eagle hunters participating in this event. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Event. The festival starts with display of eagles and hunters, and then goes into the events of eagles displaying their talents. The first event is the eagle catching fox skin dragged behind a horse, returning to their owner from a distance on command, as well as a camel race and Kazakh games of Tiyn Teru (a race to pick up a coin on the ground while on horseback), Kyz Kuar (“girl chase,” a man and woman race on horseback while the woman whips the man), and Kokpar (tug of war over a goat carcass while on horseback). On the evening of the first night is a concert of traditional Kazakh music at the theatre included in the price of a ticket.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fkukbar.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=8784ed89-c70c-4d83-bf15-880a6779ecc0"></figure>&nbsp;GOOD TO KNOW<hr>SCHEDULE<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fgolden_eagle_festival_aysholpan.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=9673d48d-4559-4759-950f-07ce3fab1dad"></figure>Annual Golden Eagle Festival will be held on 7th, 8th of October, 2023 “Sayat tolgoi” site of bugat sum of Bayan-Ulgii province.&nbsp;SATURDAY, 7TH OF OCTOBER, 2023 (DAY 1)<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="text-align:justify;">Registration and credential of Eagle Hunters</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Opening ceremony of Annual Golden Eagle Festival</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Competition of best Kazakh costume, eagle and horse harness</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Horse race</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Competition of how eagles adapted to hanters</li><li style="text-align:justify;">“Tenge Ily” competition(Traditional coin grabbing game while ride a horse)</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Urainhai archery competition</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Competition of the best Kazakh costume of couples</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Folk concert in local theatre at Ulgii town</li></ul>&nbsp;SUNDAY, 8TH OF OCTOBER, 2023 (DAY 2)<ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li style="text-align:justify;">Competition of how eagles adapted to hunters “Shyrga tartu”(eagles will be qualified how fast and smoothly catch a lure that made of rabbit or fox skin)</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Camel race</li><li style="text-align:justify;">“Khyz khuar” game show(Traditional horse back riding fan game for youth, boys whipped by girls if they reached by them)</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Continuation game</li><li style="text-align:justify;">“Kukhbar” competition(Traditional horse back riding game fight over for goat skin)</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Award ceremony for winners of festival</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Closing ceremony</li></ul>

During the communist period in Kazakhstan, many Kazakhs fled for Mongolia, settling down in Bayan Ulgii, an area that has been designated for the Kazakhs of Mongolia today. 

GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL​

ABOUT THE CAMEL FESTIVAL.<hr>Gloriously, this event is officially billed as the Thousand Camel Festival and it certainly lives up to its name! The Bactrian, known as the “ship of the Gobi”, is the undoubted star of the show here in the heart of the desert. The camel herders, with their woolly-coated, double-humped steeds, gather to compete in races and polo competitions. Visitors are encouraged to join the colourful opening parade – yup, on a camel – &nbsp;and it is a unique opportunity to interact with the herders and see their nomadic way of life, up close and personal. Kath, from the UK office, was lucky enough to attend the Thousand Camel Festival in 2008. Here’s what she had to say about this flamboyant celebration:“Winter in the Gobi brings snow to the desert and the camels all have their fluffy winter coats on. I remember that the latrines were frozen! Everyone was on camels – everyone, from the elderly to the tiniest tots, and many of the spectators too. There were loads of colourful flags and so much noise, people shouting and camels braying. We followed the races, driving along behind in our vehicles to see the action as it happened, people were standing on their camels at the finish line to see into the distance.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fcamel_festival.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=5b139c28-6523-44db-9625-a9d22db1728f"></figure>There were competitions with teams – who could load and unload a ger from a camel in the fastest time – and we watched a young camel being broken in. There was a bookie taking bets, but it was easy to tell which camel would win his race as they all still wore their awards from previous years. I just bet on the camel with the most medals! There was also a competition for the best-looking male and female camel. Two white camels won – they are quite rare and prized by the Mongolians. It was -10°C, but having just come from the Ice Festival, it felt positively balmy. I had my first gallop on a camel … they have a strange wobbly gait and I did feel a little seasick. One of our guests, Diana, was asked to open proceedings by cutting the ribbon; what an honour! It was an amazing experience…”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gloriously, this event is officially billed as the Thousand Camel Festival and it certainly lives up to its name! The Bactrian, known as the “ship of the Gobi”, is the undoubted star of the show here in the heart of the desert. 

GOBI DESERT - THOUSAND CAMEL FESTIVAL

ABOUT MONGOLIA'S WINTER FESTIVALS<hr>March is normally the month of two infamous and popular festivals. Due to severe winter weather conditions, either one or other or both, can be cancelled at short notice, however, if you are lucky enough to attend them, they will be like nothing else. An important part of the Mongolian calendar to local people, these festivals are a wonderful opportunity for visitors to see in action, how the natural world – the landscape and the wildlife – lies at the centre of Mongolian culture and traditions. We are always excited to take our guests along to enjoy the fun. Every year, on the southern edge of the Siberian forest, the Blue Pearl of Mongolia, Lake Khovsgol, completely freezes over. The ice forms to a depth of five feet creating an extraordinary winter playground. The nomadic reindeer herders, Tsaatan, from the north, join local residents to celebrate the winter, with traditional games and races over two days. In temperatures of down to -35°C, contestants compete in sports such as ice-skating, ice-wrestling, tug-o’-war, dog-sledding and horse sleigh racing.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fmongolia_ice_festival.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=6f0ee9d7-062b-4944-9c3a-b44188d4218e"></figure>We were delighted when Joan Baxter, who travelled for the first time with PJ in 2009, wrote to share her experiences with us:“It was the ice itself that fascinated me. Though clear, it had deep white cracks through it in six and eight sided facets, like large gems. I was surprised how much could be done on it, how much weight and how much heat it could take. &nbsp;So many vehicles, races of all kinds, yaks pulling huge blocks of ice for building, as if the ice had no power to melt at any time! &nbsp;A bonfire on the ice was another surprise. &nbsp;Burn through and melt the ice? Not a bit. After many hours of burning, it left only a little water, nothing more. The ice was as thick, strong and indestructible as any good building material. We froze our lips on glasses made from ice at the ice bar, and inside the ice house, we lounged on ice furniture amid ice sculptures. Then, the fun of sliding down from the ice tower, on our fronts, on our backs, feet first or head first. &nbsp;The power of the ice and the natural patterns it made in the course of its formation, really fascinated me. The extreme cold that can burn while the ice itself is impervious to burning heat, keeping its form beneath the temperature of fire – it was a wonder to me!”Joan also enjoyed watching the games and remarked about the Mongolian wrestlers:“They were made of sturdy stuff with obviously wondrous circulation! For as they wrestled on the ice one might pull the shirt off his opponent, who continued to battle on in direct contact with the ice, and did not appear in the least bit cold!”&nbsp;

March is normally the month of two infamous and popular festivals. Due to severe winter weather conditions, either one or other or both, can be cancelled at short notice, 

KHUVSGUL LAKE ICE FESTIVAL

NEW YEAR'S EVE IN MONGOLIA<hr>While we in the UK observe New Year’s Eve on 31st December with little more ceremony than a prossecco-fuelled rendition of Auld Lang Syne at midnight, in our three destinations they do things quite differently. Here, in the second of three posts exploring the festivities in Mongolia, Bhutan and Burma, is how they celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Land of the Blue Skies. In a country where the winter is long and harsh, a new year takes on extra significance, for with it comes the light and the warmth of spring… In Mongolia, Tsagaan Sar is the festival of the Lunar New Year and takes place somewhere between the end of January and the end of February. Literally translated as White Moon, it falls on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice and is eagerly anticipated. In much the same way as the Bhutanese, the Mongolians also spend time preparing their houses and their affairs for the celebrations. Everything is thoroughly cleaned, old or dirty things are swept away, both literally and metaphorically. Old quarrels are healed, debts are settled and traditional clothes donned for the three-day festival. The feast is prepared weeks in advance with hundreds, if not thousands, of buzz or traditional dumplings made to feed the whole family who will gather in the house of the eldest living member, and the visitors that will come to pay their neighbourly respects. Also on the table will be dairy products, mutton and horsemeat, rice with curds, a ‘mountain’ of cookies stacked high and of course, airag (fermented mare’s milk).<figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fart_buuz_mongolia.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=4beacff0-8df7-4dbd-9847-fb3fbbfd7367"></figure>“We welcomed our relatives, greeting them in the traditional Mongolian way using both hands. The oldest person places his or her arms out straight, with the palms turned down, on the outstretched arms of the youngest person. Each addresses the other with the traditional greeting of good wishes such as: ‘Amar sain baina uu? Sar shinedee saikhan shinelej baina uu?’ (Hello, how do you do? Are you having a nice New Year celebration?) or ‘Mend ee, ta saikhan shinelej baina uu?’ (Hello, are you enjoying yourself at this New Year’s celebration?), while gently touching cheeks.”(Uuganaa Ramsay, A Traditional Tsagaan Sar)Spiritual rituals take place – milk tea is cast outside to the four compass directions as an offering for an auspicious year ahead. Traditional games are played, snuff is shared, gifts are exchanged, visits are made and New Year’s Eve in Mongolia is welcomed in with glad hearts. “During Tsagaan Sar celebrations there are three things that you cannot do – first you cannot be angry – the second is to not be greedy and the third is not to be sad. You clear your mind and spirit of all negative things and open it up to pure clean positive thoughts. During these days you always help people and give with an open heart. If people will truly follow and observe these customs, putting old problems behind them and looking forward to the future without negative thoughts or preconceived notions the world and their lives would be truly remarkable.”(Mongolian Views, Everything You Didn’t Know About Tsagaan Sar)&nbsp;

While we in the UK observe New Year’s Eve on 31st December with little more ceremony than a prossecco-fuelled rendition of Auld Lang Syne at midnight, in our three destinations they do things quite differently.

TSAGAAN SAR - MONGOLIAN LUNAR NEW YEAR

ABOUT NAADAM FESTIVAL<hr>Naadam is a traditional festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed eriin gurvan naadam (эрийн гурван наадам) the three games of men. This is Eastern version of olympics like Ancient Greeks. The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery, and are held throughout the country during midsummer. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling. In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.The biggest festival (National Naadam) is held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar during the National Holiday from July 11 – 13, in the National Sports Stadium. Naadam begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. The competitions are mainly horseback riding. Naadam is the most widely watched festival among Mongols, and is believed to have existed for centuries in one fashion or another. Naadam has its origin in the activities, such as military parades and sporting competitions such as archery, horse riding and wrestling, that followed the celebration of various occasions, including weddings or spiritual gatherings. It later served as a way to train soldiers for battle. Now it formally commemorates the 1921 Revolution when Mongolia declared itself independent of China. Naadam also celebrates the achievements of the new state. Naadam was celebrated as a Buddhist/shaman holiday until secularization in the 1930s under the communist influence of the Soviet Union. The three sports are called “Danshig” games. They became the great celebration of the new nation, where the nobility got together to dedicate to the Jabzundamba Khutugtu, the new head of state.Genghis Khan’s nine horse tails, representing the nine tribes of the Mongols, are still ceremonially transported from Sukhbaatar Square to the Stadium to open the Naadam festivities. At these opening and closing ceremonies, there are impressive parades of mounted cavalry, athletes and monks. Another popular Naadam activity is the playing of games using shagai, sheep anklebones that serve as game pieces and tokens of both divination and friendship. In the larger Nadaam festivals, tournaments may take place in a separate venue.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fmongolian_traditional_wrestling.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=1b3f9c20-7634-4868-8ea7-a89772ba0707"></figure>THE THREE GAMES OF MEN<hr>WRESTLING<figure class="image image-style-side image_resized" style="width:40.76%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2FMongolian_wrestling.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=3a8dd9ff-be10-4037-a86a-90b11f20fac6"></figure>A total of 512 or 1024 wrestlers meet in a single-elimination tournament that lasts nine or ten rounds. Mongolian traditional wrestling is an untimed competition in which wrestlers lose if they touch the ground with any part of their body other than their feet or hands.&nbsp;When picking pairs, the wrestler with the greatest fame has the privilege to choose his opponent. Wrestlers wear two-piece costumes consisting of a tight shoulder vest (zodog) and shorts (shuudag). Only men are allowed to participate. Each wrestler has an "encourager" called a zasuul. The zasuul sings a song of praise for the winning wrestler after rounds 3, 5, and 7. Winners of the 7th or 8th stage (depending on whether the competition features 512 or 1024 wrestlers) earn the title of zaan, "elephant". The winner of the 9th or 10th stage, is called arslan, "lion". In the final competition, all the "zasuuls" drop in the wake of each wrestler as they take steps toward each other. Two-time arslans are called the titans / giants, or avraga.&nbsp;HORSE RACING<figure class="image image-style-side image_resized" style="width:40.38%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2FNaadam_festival_horses.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=19f56d75-e855-4636-b6d5-c7b6e9416cfe"></figure>Unlike Western horse racing, which consists of short sprints generally not much longer than 2 km, Mongolian horse racing as featured in Naadam is a cross-country event, with races 15–30 km long. The length of each race is determined by age class. For example, two-year-old horses race for ten miles and seven-year-olds for seventeen miles. Up to 1000 horses from any part of Mongolia can be chosen to participate. Race horses are fed a special diet. Children from 5 to 13 are chosen as jockeys and train in the months preceding the races. While jockeys are an important component, the main purpose of the races is to test the skill of the horses. Before the races begin, the audience sings traditional songs and the jockeys sing a song called Gingo. Prizes are awarded to horses and jockeys. The top five horses in each class earn the title of airgiyn tav and the top three are given gold, silver, and bronze medals. The winning jockey is praised with the title of tumny ekh or leader of ten thousand. The horse that finishes last in the Daaga race (two-year-old horses race) is called bayan khodood (meaning "full stomach"). A song is sung to the Bayan khodood wishing him luck to be next year's winner.&nbsp;ARCHERING<figure class="image image-style-side image_resized" style="width:40.48%;"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/kerege-travel.appspot.com/o/ckeditor%2Fmongolian_archery.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=a4f540aa-a22f-4f5a-85f6-797a30c72bd6"></figure>In this competition both men and women may participate. It is played by teams of ten. Each archer is given four arrows; the team must hit 33"surs". Men shoot their arrows from 75 meters away while women shoot theirs from 65 meters away. Traditionally the archers wear their national clothing (Deel) during the competition. All the archers wear leather bracers up to the elbow on their outstretched arm, so that the deel’s cuff does not interfere with shooting. Mongolian archery is unique for having dozens of surs as targets. Each sur is a small woven or wooden cylinder. They are placed one on top another forming a wall 3-high, which is approximately 8 inches high by 5 feet wide. Knocking a sur out of the wall with an arrow counts as a hit, though knocking a sur out of the centre will bring a competitor more points. When the archer hits the target, the judge says uuhai which means "hooray". After each hit, an official repairs the damaged wall and makes it ready for the next attempt. The winners of the contest are granted the titles of "national marksman" and "national markswoman".&nbsp;

Naadam is a traditional festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed eriin gurvan naadam (эрийн гурван наадам) the three games of men. This is Eastern version of olympics like Ancient Greeks

NAURYZ FESTIVAL MONGOLIA

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NAURYZ FESTIVAL MONGOLIA

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