Less than a billion and a half will go for Naadam, not more

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A regular meeting of the Naadam organizing committee ran June 7. The gathering have shared views on the Naadam's finance and other issues. As planned, 1.3 billion togrogs are needed for the Naadam celebration. These money will consist of 350 million--from income of the Naadam festival (tickets, sevices etc), 380 million--from the capital city's budget, and 580 millions--from the Government's reserve fund. Final budget will be clarified Saturday at the cabinet meeting. The biggest festival (Naadam of the Country) runs July 11–13. Main ceremonies are arranged at the National Sports Stadium. Naadam begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin. Naadam is the most widely watched festival among Mongols, and it 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 a free country.