Colors of Nadam

• Source: Global Times
• [22:54 July 21 2010]
• Comments

"Wine Cup and Bowls Dance" on the Gegentala grasslands. Photo: Yao Wenjun

By Yue Hongyan

The 21st Tourism Nadam, an annual cultural festival in Inner Mongolia and the most important on the vast prairies of the region, is preparing for its famous colorful opening ceremony Sunday on the grasslands of Gegentala, 128 kilometers away from Inner Mongolia's capital, Hohhot.

"Compared with last year, the festival will add more activities for tourists to take part in, including milking sheep, making dairy products, building yurts and enjoying crafts and the grass is much better than last year, because we've had more rain this year," Yao Wenjun, chief of the tourism promotion department of Inner Mongolia Tourism Administration, told the Global Times.

According to Yao, about 10,000 people will take part in the opening ceremony and 50,000, including local herdsmen, farmers and tourists from home and abroad, are expected to participate in seven days of colorful festivities.

"Summer is the best time for visiting the grasslands, when the blue sky and white clouds are high above the extensive green grasslands dotted by Mongolian yurts and herds of sheep, cattle, horses and wild flowers," Yao said. "More importantly, visitors can take part in Nadam."

Nadam means entertainment and get-together in Mongolian, explained Bamenghe, professor of folkloristics at Inner Mongolia Normal University. He said that the term appeared just after the founding of New China (1949) and has come to represent a very important cultural and entertainment event for the Mongolian ethnic group. "It is a great opportunity to showcase the culture and customs of the prairies," Bamenghe said. "There is also a trade fair for exports and domestic trade."

The festival itself can be traced back to ancient times and is show of nomadic life, hunting and sacrifice, according to Aoqi, director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Center at Inner Mongolia Normal University.

Nadam has been held on the Gegentala grasslands since 1990. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) the grasslands belonged to the 15th generation of descendants of Genghis Khan (1162-1227).

"Nadam today still preserves lots of traditional customs," Yao explained. "During the opening ceremony on the first day, nine Mongolian soldiers dressed in typical Mongolian-style amor will stand holding a suluding (Mongolian lance). The symbol of Mars, with black representing power and white representing peace, will stand before the lines of all of the participants."

A sacrificial ritual will begin the opening ceremony, Yao said, carried out by a respected local elder, who will burn incense to exorcise ghosts, give offerings to the God of War and God of Fire, then lead people in singing traditional songs. The ritual is completed by the man putting an arrow and dairy products inside a lucky barrel while walking around the sacrifice ritual table.