China's land is vast, and different regions have different local regional cultures and characteristics. The extended family of 56 ethnic groups, because of the differences in customs in various places, in addition to the unified holidays, some places also continue their own festivals according to local conditions. Today we are going to talk about the "Naadam" in Inner Mongolia, which belongs to the grassland herders, why it is now sought after by so many tourists.
"Naadam" is Mongolian, which translates to mean "entertainment, game" in Chinese. The "Naadam" congress is a traditional festival with a long history in Inner Mongolia and occupies a very important position in the hearts of the Mongolian people. Now this festival is not only a unique festival belonging to the Mongolian ethnic group, many tourists who like to travel will travel thousands of miles to the steppe when Naadam is in Naadam, spend this important festival with the local Mongolian people, and feel the local festival atmosphere.
The "Naadam" congress is usually held in July and August of each year, when the livestock are the fattest and the crops are harvested. At this time, the herders on the grasslands will spontaneously gather together to celebrate the joy of the harvest, and in order to be able to see their siblings, so as to hold a series of interesting cultural and sports entertainment activities, such a large gathering is called "Naadam".
Later, I listened to local friends and said that naadam was not necessarily only in July and August. If the local large family has a wedding or any happy event, there will also be a small "Naadam", and the families belonging to the banner will gather together, the same process has the same taste, anyway, as long as there is a place with Naadam, it represents joy.
The most traditional and classic competitions at the "Naadam" conference: horseback riding, archery, wrestling, can be called the prairie triathlon, but also as a prairie boy must-have skill. Women, on the other hand, are more involved in the performance of the show, the setting of the scene, and so on.
When we went to Inner Mongolia, we happened to encounter a Naadam party, so we also went to join in the fun and feel the festive atmosphere of the locals. As long as Naadam is turned on, then the traffic near this grassland will be very congested on this day, and even the traffic police will be temporarily dispatched to maintain order at the scene, and you can imagine what kind of scene this grand situation is.
The time we arrived was the first day in Naadam and the main sport being carried out today was wrestling. I saw that next to us sat a shirtless man, wearing a pennant symbolizing honor around their necks. It is a sport that demonstrates strength and skill, also known as "Bork".
Wrestlers wear wrestling suits called "Zhaodege", with red, yellow and blue turbans wrapped around their heads, Mongolian flower leather boots on their feet, floral belts around their waists, trousers on their lower bodies, and multicolored streamers around their necks. The streamer worn around the neck is very elaborate, and only when participating in large-scale wrestling events with more than 100 people can you get a certain rank to have a streamer. Therefore, looking at those with many streamers, they are all very experienced old Boke hands, which are very respected in the hearts of Mongolians.
According to the traditional customs of the Mongolian people, wrestlers are not limited by region and weight, and adopt a knockout system to determine the winner or loser. So you may see a very strong match against a skinny one, but it doesn't matter, because this wrestling relies not only on brute force, but also on certain skills, and who loses and who wins is really not certain.
Mongolian wrestling does not have too many rules, and there are many techniques, which are divided into thirteen basic skills such as catching, pulling, pulling, pushing, and pressing, as well as more than a hundred derivative actions. You can grab each other's shoulders, you can also hug each other's waist, and it is also possible to drill into each other's armpits and hug. However, holding thighs, punching the face, etc. are not allowed.
Although it sounds like what I'm saying here is true, if you're not a true wrestling fan when watching it live, you may not be able to understand it. In the chaotic situation on the field, you may be a little careless, where a pair of wrestlers will take advantage of the lightning speed to win the game. In fact, more often than not, it is a stage of stalemate between two wrestlers, who cannot fall down the other, looking for opportunities in patience.
Have you ever experienced Naadam? Tell us what you think of Naadam? See you in the comments section.