草原盛会

七八月份的内蒙古大草原，天空湛蓝，白云朵朵，鲜花和绿草沉醉在浪漫交融中。每年这时，成千上万的蒙古族牧民，无论男女老少，都会穿上节日盛装，齐聚在绿草如茵的广袤草原上。平日宁静的草原此时彩旗飘扬，人流如潮，马儿嘶鸣，牛羊欢唱，蒙古族一年一度的盛大节日——“那达慕”如期而至。

During the months of July and August， amidst the expansive grasslands of InnerMongolia， blooming flowers and verdant grass smell of romance under the deep blue skiesadorned with wisps of white clouds. At this time of year， tens of thousands of Mongolianherders， young and old， men and women， all dressed up in festive attire， gather on the lushgreen grasslands， filling this usually tranquil piece of land with fluttering flags， bustlingcrowds， neighing horses， and the joyful calls of cattle and sheep， as the annual grand festivalof the Mongolian people， Naadam， arrives as expected.

那达慕的由来

The Origin of Naadam

“那达慕”是蒙古语的音译，意为“娱乐”和“游戏”。那达慕的起源可以追溯至远古时代。生活在蒙古高原的北方民族在掌握了与野兽格斗的本领之后，又学会了骑射这种狩猎方式。为了庆祝丰收、祭祀神灵和选拔勇士，古代匈奴人会在夏、秋季节举办各种形式的娱乐、游戏和庆典活动，这就是那达慕最初的雏形。

Naadam is a transliteration of the Mogolian word，meaning “entertainment” and “game”. The origin ofNaadam dates back to ancient times. The northernethnic groups living on the Mongolian Plateau， aftermastering the skills to fight wild beasts， also developedhorseback archery as a hunting method. To celebratethe harvest， honor deities， and select brave warriors，the ancient Xiongnu people would hold various formsof entertainments， games， and celebrations in summerand fall， forming the earliest prototype of Naadam.

随着时间的推移，那达慕逐渐成为蒙古族一种重要的生活习俗和社会活动。后来，那达慕不仅在蒙古族内部广泛传播，还吸引了周边其他民族积极参与，逐渐发展成为内蒙古乃至全国范围内最具影响力的民族传统体育赛事之一。

Over time， Naadam gradually became animportant life custom and social activity for theMongolian people. It eventually spread widely amongthem and attracted enthusiastic participation fromneighboring ethnic groups， becoming one of themost influential traditional sports events in InnerMongolia and across the country.

男儿三艺

The Three Manly Arts

那达慕盛会通常设在开阔的草地上，活动内容丰富多样，其中赛马、射箭和摔跤三个项目是核心内容。在蒙古文化中，这“三艺”是每个蒙古族男儿必须掌握的技能，不仅体现其生存能力，更彰显其阳刚之气。

The Naadam festival is usually held on opengrasslands， and features a diverse range of activities，with horse racing， archery， and wrestling as its corecomponents. In Mongolian culture， these “three arts”are skills that every Mongolian man must master，embodying not only their survival abilities but alsotheir masculine spirit.

传统的蒙古人大都过着逐水草而居的游牧生活，其日常生活中的狩猎放牧、商贸交流都离不开马，所以从小就练习马术，并将精湛的驭马之术视为每一个蒙古人特别是蒙古族男性的生存之本。渐渐地，赛马便演变为一种民族体育和娱乐项目。赛马比赛惊险刺激，需要骑手在疾驰的骏马背上灵活调整姿势，完成高难度动作，十分考验骑手的技术和反应能力。这项运动体现了蒙古人勇于拼搏和热爱自由的精神。

Traditional Mongolians mostly lead a nomadiclife， moving seasonally in search of water sourcesand fresh pastures， thus hunting， herding， andtrade are closely tied to horses. For this reason， theystart practicing horsemanship from a young ageand regard the exquisite skill of horse riding as thefoundation of survival， especially for men. Gradually，horse racing has evolved into a national sport andentertainment event. The competition is thrillingand requires riders to flexibly adjust their posture onthe back of galloping horses and perform complexmaneuvers， which tests their technique and reflexes.This sport embodies the Mongolian spirit of braveryand love for freedom.

射箭比赛分为站立射箭、骑马射箭和长距离射箭三种。早期的蒙古人为了避免野兽的袭击，推崇长距离射箭，后来发展出精湛的骑马射箭之术。射箭不仅是一项考验射手臂力、视力和技巧的运动，更是蒙古民族崇尚武术精神的一种生动展现。

Archery competitions are divided into threetypes： standing archery， horseback archery， and longdistancearchery. Early Mongolians emphasize longdistancearchery to avoid animal attacks， and laterdeveloped exquisite skills in horseback archery.This sport not only tests a shooter’s strength， vision，and skill but also serves as a vivid expression of theMongolian people’s admiration for martial arts.

摔跤是蒙古人特别喜爱的一项体育活动。在古代，草原上的人们常常通过这种形式选拔英雄。因为在他们的心目中，摔跤不仅是力量的比拼，更是智力的较量。在摔跤时，竞技的勇士们身着钉满银钉的牛皮紧身背心，脖子上戴着用红、黄、蓝三色绸布条扎成的项圈，脚蹬蒙古靴，一边跳着鹰步舞，一边唱着雄浑高亢的歌，信心满满地出场，使出浑身解数，捉对较技。

Wrestling is a particularly beloved sportamong Mongolians. In ancient times， people on thegrasslands often used wrestling to identify heroes， asit represented not just a contest of strength but alsoa test of intelligence. Competitors wear tight vestsmade of cowhide， adorned with silver nails， alongwith neck rings of red， yellow， and blue silk ribbons，and traditional Mongolian boots. As they confidentlyenter the arena， they perform the eagle step dancewhile singing a vigorous， high-pitched song， ready toexert all their strength in battle.

摔跤比赛时，选手们不管是专业的还是业余的，不论在身高或体重上是否占有优势，都会像上战场一样奋力拼搏。比赛没有时间限制，胜负完全交由战场决定，只要一方倒地，立见分晓。摔跤比赛十分贴近蒙古人的现实生活，它将蒙古族热血、勇敢、智慧的英雄精神展现得淋漓尽致。

During wrestling matches， whether competitorsare professionals or amateurs， and regardless of theirheight or weight， they will fight as hard as if theywere on the battlefield. There is no time limit forthese contests， and the outcome strictly adheres tobattlefield rules： as soon as one competitor falls to theground， the result is determined. Wrestling closelymirrors the real life of Mongolians， showcasing theheroic spirit of their culture — passionate， brave， andwise.

草原“嘉年华”

The Prairie “Carnival”

近年来，除了竞技项目，那达慕大会还增加了各种民间文艺表演，如蒙古族的长调、短调、马头琴演奏等，让人们在参与活动和观赏演出的同时感受草原文化的魅力。此外，大会上还有各种蒙古族服饰、手工艺品、特色美食的展示和销售。比如，在手工艺品展示区，你可以欣赏到精美绝伦的刺绣、银器、蒙古包等草原特色手工艺品，感受草原人民的艺术创造力；在特色美食区，你可以品尝到正宗的手扒肉、烤羊肉串、奶茶等草原美食，满足一下自己的味蕾。当夜幕降临，草原上会举办盛大的篝火晚会，沉浸在喜悦中的人们会围着篝火席地而坐，喝着醇正的奶酒，跟着悠扬的琴声，唱起动听的民歌，跳起欢快的蒙古族舞蹈，度过欢乐的不眠之夜。

In recent years， the Naadam festival has expandedbeyond competitive events to include a variety offolk performances， such as Mongolian long-song，short-song， and morin khuur performances. Theseactivities allow people to experience the charm ofgrassland culture while participating in the festivities.Additionally， the festival showcases and sells variousMongolian clothing， handicrafts， and specialtyfoods. For instance， in the handicraft exhibition area，visitors can admire exquisite embroidery， silverware，and traditional yurts， all reflecting the artisticcreativity of the grassland people. In the specialtyfood section， they can savor authentic dishes likehand-held mutton， grilled lamb skewers， and milktea， delighting every taste bud. As night falls， agrand bonfire party lights up the grasslands. Peopleimmersed in joy gather round the fire， sitting on theground while enjoying rich milk wine. Accompaniedby the melodious sounds of the fiddle， they singbeautiful folk songs and dance to lively Mongolianrhythms， creating an unforgettable night ofcelebration.

随着时代的变迁，如今的那达慕大会除了组织传统的线下活动，还通过网络直播、短视频等新媒体形式，向全国乃至全球的观众展示其独特的文化魅力。如果你有幸遇到这场盛事，一定不要错过，因为那达慕是你一生中不容错过的精彩！

As times have changed， today’s Naadam festivalnot only has traditional on-site activities but also，thanks to new media forms like live broadcasts andshort videos， presents its unique cultural charm toaudiences both nationwide and globally. If you havethe opportunity to experience this grand event，be sure to grab it — Naadam is an extraordinaryexperience that you absolutely shall not miss in yourlifetime.