Special Sub-Topic: Mongolian Manly Mania Click Here To Play: Mongolian Manly Mania

What is the the Mongolian festival of the Three Manly Sports called?

Naadam. The festival's full name is Eriin Gurvan Naadam, or "Three Manly Games". The incorrect choices are Japanese, Scandinavian-American, and chicken festivals.

What Mongolian event or holiday does the Three Manly Sports festival commemorate?

Mongolian National Day. Mongolian National Day is celebrated July 11 with the Naadam Festival. Mongolia obtained its independence from China on that day in 1921. The exact date of Genghis (Chinggis) Khan's birthday is a matter of some debate. Some sources cite the beginning of summer, midwinter, and May 3.

Which statement about the Manly Sport of Mongolian wrestling is false?

Each Mongolian tribe chooses one person to enter the competition. Nationalgeographic.com states that the wrestling competition is the marquee event of the festival. 512 male wrestlers compete, many of them professionals. Another interesting fact is that Mongolian wrestlers, with their enormous physiques, have found a great deal of success in Japan as sumo wrestlers.

What does a Mongolian wrestling outfit look like?

A pair of bikini briefs and a pointy hat. For this particular question, the most improbable answer is the correct one. At some (but not all) Olympic opening ceremonies, Mongolia's flag bearer will proudly wear this combination, with or without an open vest or fur boots. See for yourself at http://mongoluls.net/images/nadaamsrestlers.jpg

What prize is awarded at a Mongolian wrestling competition?

A title. Winners of rounds are granted titles like Falcon, Elephant or Lion.

Which statement about women's participation in the Manly Games is true?

Women participate in archery and horseracing but not in wrestling. One benefit that Communism conferred on the People's Republic of Mongolia was the inclusion of women (and girls) in the previously exclusively "Man"-ly Games, in two events, anyway.

Arrows for Mongolian archery competitions are fletched with which of the following?

Vulture feathers. Although Mongolia is home to at least five species of vulture, most sources cite the griffin/griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) as the source of arrow feathers. Bows are made of animal horn and sinew and break rather easily. Modern accouterments like sights and fiberglass are not used.

The Manly Sport of horseracing is at least as old as the Khans on their swift, hardy Mongolian ponies. What happens to the losing horse in the competition?

It has a song written about it. Although the winning horse is honored in song and with a sprinkle of fermented mare's milk ("airag"), the loser also becomes the subject of a song. Singing features prominently in all the Manly Sport competitions; dancing does as well!

Does Manly Sport prowess mean Olympic success? In which of the following Manly Sport has Mongolia won Olympic medals?

Wrestling. In 28 Olympiads, Mongolia earned five silver and ten bronze Olympic medals. Four of each (eight total) were won for wrestling; the others were earned in shooting, judo, and boxing. Because Mongolia does not use modern archery equipment, it is not competitive in archery events despite its people's skill with their traditional bows. Olympic equestrian events (dressage, show jumping and endurance) are quite unlike Naadam horseracing, but wrestling seems to translate!

Although most Mongolian cities and towns host their own Manly Sports Festivals, in which (capital) city is the principal one held each July?

Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar, a city of about 800,000, hosts the principal Naadam. The incorrect answers are Mongolia's three mountain ranges. I hope you have enjoyed this quiz. You can learn more about the Manly Sports and the Naadam at www.nationalgeographic.com, from which some of the information in this quiz was obtained.