Why Naadam?

This is the year that, insha’allah, I shall attend the biggest national holiday of Mongolia, with my sister and niece. 

It is the Naadam festival, and is held all over Mongolia in mid July.  We are hoping to take part in the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar, after arriving by train. 

The festival celebrates the “Three Manly Sports” of wrestling,, horse racing and archery.  It was originally organized to test the skills of Mongolian Warriors, during the time of Genghis Khan, but women now also take part in the horse racing and archery events. 

Why celebrate one of the bloodiest periods of history and a man who was obviously a ruthless murderer, the embodiment of evil?  Well.. nothing is ever as black and white as we may wish it was.

Jackie has me looking on-line for a book by John Mann about the Khans.  I will try to find it and download it on my Sony Reader.. if it is available electronically.  Not everything is. 

But in the meantime, I checked out Kublai Khan’s grandpa and found out some rather interesting stuff about 'ol Genghis.

First of all, his father actually kidnapped his mom as she was riding home from her wedding.. and took her as his own, second, wife.  Genghis Khan came into the world christened Temujin, and was just nine when dad was killed: poisoned, by rivals.

The family, including seven children and two wives, were then thrown out of the clan and left to make it alone on the wild. 

These were not a gentle people.   And it gets worse.

On one hunting trip with his brother, the two boys got in a fight and Temujin won: killed his step brother.  Temujin was just 12 years old.  Not a 'nice' childhood. 

I discovered too that Khan is a term for a military leader and not actually their last name.  Temujin was christened Khan as it seems the feisty little fighter was a strong leader and began to unite warring tribes. Which is facinating actually.  He brought people together and created the Mongol Empire out of a bunch of warring states.  Sure he slaughtered millions in the process, but that comes with the job: order from chaos..  


The people of Mongolia liked what he did and started calling him Khan.  


His first name, mainly through translation, has eventually become Genghis and it was Genghis Khan who has been credited for an obscene number of deaths throughout China and East Asia.   His is a story I have seen in movies and read about: bloody stories.. horrific stories.

So it is sort of interesting to discover some other stuff about the man.  

He didn’t believe in social stratification.  Anyone, through hard work, bravery and skill, could move up through the military ranks.

Everyone got an equal share in the ‘booty’.

Kidnapping women was prohibited.

He did not entertain the idea of torture.

He guaranteed freedom of religion.

.. Hey.. maybe we could learn a few things from this incarnate of evil!

And he was also possibly responsible for an obscene number of births!

A 2003 DNA study suggested that about eight percent of the male population of Mongolia today have a marker that comes from him, or one of his brothers. 

And hence the party!