What is the Mongolian Damu Assembly for?

What is the Mongolian Damu Assembly for

The Mongolian Damu Assembly, also called the Naadam Assembly, is mainly a cultural, sports and entertainment assembly held by people to celebrate the harvest. It is one of the traditional festivals with a long history in Mongolia, and is held in July and August every year when the livestock are fertile.

The origin of Mongolian Naadam

"Naadam" has a long history. According to inscribed in the stone cliff on the "Genghis Khan stone text" records, Naadam originated in the early establishment of the Mongolian Khanate, as early as 1206 A.D., Genghis Khan was elected as the Mongolian Khan, he in order to review their own troops, maintenance and distribution of pasture, every year in July-August to hold a "big Huili Ge table" (big gathering), will be the various tribes of the The chiefs of various tribes are gathered together, in order to show unity and friendship and pray for a good harvest, are to hold Naadam. In the beginning, only one of the competitions of archery, horse racing or wrestling was held. In Yuan and Ming Dynasty, archery, horse racing and wrestling competitions were combined together and became a fixed form. Later, the Mongolian people also referred to these three sports as Naadam.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Naadam was widely practiced in the Mongolian steppe region and gradually became a military sport. Yuan dynasty rulers stipulated that Mongolian men must have wrestling, horseback riding, archery three basic skills. To the Qing Dynasty, Naadam gradually become by the official regularly convened by the organized, purposeful amusement activities, to the soum (equivalent to township), flag, alliance as a unit, half a year, a year or three years held once. This custom is still practiced today, and every year the Mongolian people hold Naadam.

"Naadam" General Assembly, is living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other places of Mongolia, Ewenke, Daur and other ethnic minorities of the people's grand gathering. "Naadamu" is the phonetic translation of the Mongolian language, meaning "entertainment" or "games". It is held in summer and fall every year. During the conference, farmers and herdsmen from all over the world ride horses, drive cars, and bring agricultural and animal husbandry products such as furs and medicinal herbs. Groups of people gathered in the square of the General Assembly. And white yurts are erected on the green grassland around the venue.

In the past, large-scale rituals were held during the Naadam, and the lamas burned incense and lighted lamps, recited sutras and praised Buddha, and prayed to the gods for blessing and elimination of disasters and difficulties. The content of Naadam mainly has wrestling, horse racing, archery, race Bru, horse set, play Mongolia chess and other national traditional projects, some places have track and field, tug of war, volleyball, basketball and other sports competitions. In addition, there are martial arts, polo, horseback riding, archery, horse riding, horse chopping, horse racing, horse riding skills, motorcycle and other exciting performances on Naadam. Participate in the horse race away horse, must have been specially trained, four feet can not leave the ground at the same time, can only walk fast, can not run fast. Nightfall, the grasslands floating in the melodious and exciting sound of the horse-head qin, bonfire beside the young men and women singing and dancing, people immersed in the joy of the festival.

Nadam Assembly folk activities

①Nadam is generally held in late summer and early fall each year. From the seasonal point of view, late summer and early fall on the grassland, cattle and sheep fat, is the livestock output and trade exchanges of the peak season, and thus the Naadam is the Mongolian celebration of the harvest festival. From the national custom, July and August is the traditional custom of the Mongolian people in the "blessing" of the season, held in this season Naadam, expressing the Mongolian people to pray for luck wish.

②In the traditional Naadam, the main wrestling, archery, horse racing three competitions.

3 In the traditional Naadam assembly, usually also carry out large-scale sacrificial activities. But today, most of these sacrifices are just a symbolic ceremony.

④Every Naadam, the herdsmen will put on the festival dress, from all directions to the conference venue. The green wide grassland, colorful flags fluttering, traffic, the scene is extremely spectacular. Herdsmen drink horse milk wine, sing prairie songs, eat roasted whole sheep, play the horse-head qin, singing and dancing all night long, so that people experience is really simple and passionate and unrestrained.

"Naadam" conference festival characteristics

①No fixed date

To festival time for the festival, there is no fixed day. Every year the grassland in July, August is the water and grass, animal husbandry harvest time, become the fixed period of the festival of Naadam festival.

②The content of the festival to show the grassland nomadic culture essence.

The vast grassland is the place of Naadam festival, and Naadam can only be carried out on the grassland. Ovoo is the grassland nomadic people's spiritual beliefs, "men's three arts" to hunting, animal husbandry as the basis for the emergence and development. Naadam festival content everywhere in the nomadic economy and nomadic culture results.

3 universal gatherings and revelry.

People from all over the world ride horses, drive camels and pack yurts to gather together in Naadam, where time and space have a specific meaning. Here, people not only watch the game is to participate in it, get the body and mind drenched in pleasure and enjoyment. This kind of gathering is rare for steppe people. People come to the festival in high spirits and exchange livestock products to supplement their livelihoods.

Nadam is not only a traditional festival of Mongolians, but also a display of the spirit of the Mongolian people. It can be said that the organization of Naadam gathers cultural exchanges from all over the world, which can make more people understand the life of Mongolian people and the people of the steppe.