Wrestling is the highlight of the Great National Holiday of Mongolians which is held annually on July 11and 12.
Traditional wrestling has its own longstanding ritual, as well as sport skills and art style. Mongolians honor strength of men, so their boys learn to wrestle from early childhood. They are very respectful to the wrestlers and praise their good-mannered kids as “a boy born to be wrestler”. It is wonderful to see in the central and local stadiums how the younger and strong wrestlers dressed in their special wearing walk proudly during the Naadam festival.
Wrestling is not just a bout between two men. It is also gradually enriched with various rituals and symbols. It is seen when wrestler performs the eagles’ dance with arms imitating the flight of a bird, which symbolizes power and invincibility.
Wrestlers wear the ornamental knee-boots with upturned toes, the tight, unflattering pants so-called shuudag and open-fronted, long-sleeved vest of silk across the shoulders called zodog. These garbs are very light, convenient and hard-wearing. Their hats are shaped like a peaked helmet of the ancient warriors, whereas their hand-made boots are very suitable to use leg tricks.
At the Naadam festival the wrestlers with higher titles firstly began their bouts. When the senior of the seconds shouts in a loud voice his titles, the wrestler limber up and honor the judges with its his “eagle dance” before coming to bout place.
There are no upper age limits and weight categories in Mongolian National Wrestling. The one who forces his rival to kneel on the ground or touch it with his head or elbow is considered to be the winner. Nowadays, 512 and sometimes 1024 wrestlers usually take part in the State Great Naadam in the capital of Ulaanbaatar, and 64, 128 or 256 wrestlers compete in local naadam festivals. Winners and finalists are bestowed glorious titles depending on how many rounds they won. Also, naadam-goers strive to touch the winner-wrestlers with their arms, that are considered as a symbolization to get magnificence of strong and powerful men.
In 2011, the biggest event held in Mongolian National Wrestling history. At that time, 6012 national wrestlers were involved in one single competition which lasted for nine days straight. As a result, Mongolian wrestling was included in the “World Guinness Record Book”. This was first ever in the World history.