The Three Manly Games.docVIP

The Three Manly Games there’s a traditional saying in Mongolian: “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings.” There’s no better place to see this idea in action than Naadam 那达慕 N3d1m , the three-day celebration of Mongolian manhood that takes place each year across the region’s grasslands. Though the largest festivities take place in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, Naadam has also been revived in Inner Mongolia as a celebration of ethnic culture and is still held on its traditional lunar calendar date, which this year falls on July 24. If thundering hoof beats, whistling arrow shafts and burly, oiled-up men set your pulse racing, this is the place for you. Naadam showcases the most popular sports of steppe civilization: wrestling, horse racing and archery. In the Mongolian language, Naadam means “games” or“entertainment,” and is short for Eriin Gurvan Naadam, meaning the “Three Manly Games.” It is, affirms Paul Cuclis who attended last year抯 festival, an appropriate name. 揃asmeically, the entire festival has this totally testosterone-infused atmosphere,” he says. “You have giant men clashing, archers shooting hundreds of meters and even little kids racing horses to exhaustion and sometimes even death.” The celebration can be traced back to the days of Genghis Khan, the fearsome 12th-century leader who consolidated the Mongol hordes and conquered the Eurasian continent. As legend has it, before the Great Khan led his troops out of Inner Asia, he summoned the tribes for a grand meet and military review. Archery skills were the first to be tested, while wrestling and horse-racing were added later during the Yuan Dynasty 1206 - 1368 , establishing Naadam as a military-focused sports competition. While archery is the oldest competition, nothing evokes the martial glory of 12th century Mongolian warriors better than the unadulterated brawn of Mongolian wrestling. It’s the first event of the festival, and follows extended bouts of singing, praying and danc