Mongolian Wrestlers Reach Out For Each Other At The Nadaam Games
Every July Mongolian Wrestlers meet at the Nadaam Games to wrap their arms around each other, more or less, and share sports camaraderie that dates back to Ghengis Khan. They will gambol their legs and outplay their arms as they have for centuries, until one falls down, just like the old days a few thousand years ago. That is often about three hundred pounds each doing leg manoeuvres. Not a twinkling of the tootsies by any stretch. And those tootsies, by the way, are encased in a heavily tooled leather boot that only cowboys and Mongolians would be caught wrestling in. Only since Mongolia opened up with the Soviet empire decline have westerners been able to witness any early July, the modern version of this ancient sport.
The participants actually step and swerve with minimal body contact until the fall is declared by a wizardly shrouded judge that would impress Harry Potter. The winner might actually collapse on top of the loser due to the close proximity and the forward body manipulations that the sport requires and that could be truly crushing to the underpinned. To a certain extent winning is all about posturing, sneakily side stepping all the while facing off.
After a winner is declared, remarkably, gloating success and honour is all about dancing. After being temporarily crowned a winner on the field, he heads to the Mongolian flag displayed on the field. Judges are honoured with a dance called devekh or eagle dance with arms imitating the grand bird soaring. With those arms flailing widely but ever so slwoly, he pirouettes around the flagpole in slow motion. Although Mongolian wrestlers my not appear in top physical shape by western standards, these are the kinds of guys you might not want to tangle with in a wrestling competition. This is an all male event so women need not apply.
For more on Mongolia, see also:
https://www.heathersimonds.com/blog/mongolian-mountain-passes-and-ancient-beliefs
https://www.heathersimonds.com/blog/mongolian-camel-trek
https://www.heathersimonds.com/blog/mongolia-nadaam-games-opening-parade-rain-or-shine
