28Summer is undeniably the best
season to travel in Mongolia (unless
you want to freeze, that is). The mild
weather, long sunshine hours, and
untouched green steppe make the
country the perfect destination for
those who want to enjoy undisturbed
Nature at its best; only three million
people populate a territory three
times the size of France, with about a
million of those crowding the capital,
Ulaanbaatar. Once you’re outside
of the city, there is little chance of
bumping into someone!
But disrupting the silent vastness
of this landlocked, nomadic country
is a riotous summer celebration:
The Naadam festival is a definitive
highlight for anybody interested
in ancient traditions – and a bit of
rowdiness as an interlude in the
quiet. The three games – wrestling,
horse racing and archery – that
comprise Naadam are a means
through which Mongolians
commemorate their nomadic warrior
heritage, and independence from
China in 1921.Nobody knows when exactly the
tradition started. The Center for the
Study of Eurasian Nomads says that it
was established as a form of memorial
celebration as an annual sacrificial
ritual honouring various mountain
gods – or it may have been established
to celebrate community endeavour.
Others believe that it most probably
evolved from training activities for the
military; experts often reference the
13th-century book The Secret History of
the Mongols to prove that Naadam has
been held since as early as the times