Mongolia’s biggest festival takes place throughout July and August every year. The largest one happens in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, at the beginning of July but smaller more accessible ones take place in towns and villages throughout Mongolia at various times in July and August. It consists of three events, archery, horse riding and wrestling. I chose to go to one of the village festivals as getting anywhere close to the action in the capital would be impossible. The festival was held in a wide-open field. Cars, vans and motorcycles were all parked in one area on the grass. Vendors of food, souvenirs, and photo ops were scattered throughout the rest of the area. Wrestling is the main event that everyone wants to see. Wrestlers that win in the capital are famous throughout Mongolia with trading cards to prove it. There is no weight class in this event, which could make it pretty unfair, so not only strength is needed but tactic. It was not as fast moving as you would think. With four pairs going on at the same time, it was easy to keep track of all of them. There is no time limit on the fight, but all competitors have an “encourager” to boost and inspire the fighter and to give the supportive slap on the ass when the fight slows down too much.
The next most popular event is the horse racing. Racing horses here is very different to Western racing. Here they race cross-country anywhere from 10-30 km. Jockeys here are also very different, they are children from age 5-13. The foremost reason of the race is to test the skill of the horse. The races are divided up into categories by the age of the horses and this determines the length of the race. They youngest are 2yr old up to 7yr old horses. There came a rumble throughout the crowd that the race was coming closer to the end, the crowds ran down and cheered at the finish line. In the distance you started to see some of the riders flying across the wide-open field with trucks randomly following along to keep track of the racers. As they come closer you heard them yelling encouragement to their horses and slapping them with their whip. The looks on these young jockeys faces is fierce and seeing most of them riding bareback was a sight to behold. This event was the most exciting to watch even if it was over in a flash since you only got to see the end of the race.
The final event is archery. This event uses targets in the capital, but the one in the countryside was only distance. Competitors are given 4 arrows and try and cross the target line, which is usually 65-75 meters away. With few competitors here, I was able to see the lighthearted teasing they were giving each other.
To be able to photograph these sports in such close proximity was so much fun. It was the best decision to come to a countryside festival rather than attending the main one in Ulaanbaatar where everything would be seen at such a distance. It was an adventure that I will never forget.