A Study on Athletic Uniforms in Mongolian Naadam Festival

몽골 나담축제 경기복식에 관한 연구

It is said that the highlights of Naadam festival, the biggest festival of the year in Mongolia, are three athletic contests: wrestling, horse racing, and archery, where contestants display their courage, strength, dexterity, and marksmanship. This paper explores the characteristics of the uniforms worn in such athletic events The findings are as follows. First, wrestlers' costume is completely unique in that it consists of shuudag, snug shorts, zodog, a jacket with sleeves but with no front, a traditional hat, and gutul, traditional boots. The main material used in the costume is several pieces of embroidered red or blue silk. Second, horse riders, usually young children lighter than the adults in weight, wear a bright, colorful, and comfortable uniform of a simple jacket and a pants. Third, archers' mostly put on their traditional costume, deel and hats. The hats are of two kinds: the traditional ones or the European-style ones for men, which were introduced around 1930s.