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Naadam and the ovoo
Mongolia's summer games, with roots in rites at stone cairns and the sky god Tengri.
About Naadam and the ovoo
Naadam, held in mid-July, is Mongolia's national festival of wrestling, archery and horse racing. Before and around it, many Mongolians visit an ovoo, a cairn of stones and branches wound with blue cloth, walk around it three times clockwise, add a stone and leave an offering of milk, vodka or sweets for the spirits of the place and for Tengri, the sky. The rites at ovoo come from the shamanic, pre-Buddhist religion of the steppe, and combine today with Buddhist practice. Some shamans lead the ceremonies for local spirits. Naadam also marks 1921, so its meaning is both national and religious.
Entries tied to it
Also part of it, and being written: Naadam (The festival and its games.), Tengrism (The sky-worshipping tradition behind them.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Naadam" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ovoo: Bouette ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mongolian shamanism: Enrique Bendicho, CC BY-SA 4.0, source