Okay, so T couldn't resist posting one short story from Mongolia...
When we attended the Naadam Festival (Manly Games), we were prepared for a heaping dose of macho: wrestlers in costumes designed to "reveal" any female interlopers, young men and boys riding horses, and men (with a few bold women) participating in the archery contests. Yes, we witnessed all of this, but with a twist we didn't expect: a proud accompaniment of community spirit. Even though individuals won each competition, they won on behalf of their entire community and quickly shared their glory with others from their area.
An example of this occurred at the end of every wrestling match. After the loser ducked under the winner's arm (to signal acceptance of the defeat), after the judges returned both participants' ceremonial hats, and after the winner did a victory lap around a celebratory stupa, something even more unusual to our American eyes happened: the winner collected a few small food items (Cheese? Candy? Shortbread?) and passed them out to some elderly members of the crowd. When I asked our guide about this tradition, she explained that the wrestler was sharing his victory--and, symbolically, his strength--with spectators from his community.
This unselfish sharing of glory parallels the unhesitating generosity and welcoming spirit of Mongolians to friends and strangers alike, and it is what I will remember most fondly from our visit here.
When we attended the Naadam Festival (Manly Games), we were prepared for a heaping dose of macho: wrestlers in costumes designed to "reveal" any female interlopers, young men and boys riding horses, and men (with a few bold women) participating in the archery contests. Yes, we witnessed all of this, but with a twist we didn't expect: a proud accompaniment of community spirit. Even though individuals won each competition, they won on behalf of their entire community and quickly shared their glory with others from their area.
An example of this occurred at the end of every wrestling match. After the loser ducked under the winner's arm (to signal acceptance of the defeat), after the judges returned both participants' ceremonial hats, and after the winner did a victory lap around a celebratory stupa, something even more unusual to our American eyes happened: the winner collected a few small food items (Cheese? Candy? Shortbread?) and passed them out to some elderly members of the crowd. When I asked our guide about this tradition, she explained that the wrestler was sharing his victory--and, symbolically, his strength--with spectators from his community.
This unselfish sharing of glory parallels the unhesitating generosity and welcoming spirit of Mongolians to friends and strangers alike, and it is what I will remember most fondly from our visit here.
1 comment:
Your experiences in Amristan at the breathtakingly beautiful golden temple was absolutely fascinating to read. It brought tears of pride to my eyes as I read about you serving food there.
Your experiences will burn images into your memory for the rest of your lives.
xoxo,
Mary/Mom
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