A Happy Day in Hovsgol

It's Naadam time in the community of Turag. Naadam is an ancient annual celebration of sports held in early July. Nyam-Ochir's whole family sets out --- to meet up with friends and neighbors, to watch horse-racing and wrestling and to cheer on twelve-year old Jeejee who's competing in a horse race for the first time. This Naadam in Turag is called an 'ovoonii bayar" - a celebration of the 'ovoo,' a shrine of rocks and branches, usually found on top of mountains to commemorate nature spirts. ©Shebana Coelho 2008