DANSHIG NAADAM – KHUREE TSAM 2017 CONCLUDES
Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam 2017, a religious and cultural festival, took place at the Central Stadium on August 5 and 6. Procession of bringing the State Flag of Mongolia from Gandantegchinlen Monastery to the Central Stadium was held at the beginning of the opening ceremony.
Undur Gegeen Zanabazar created the Soyombo script, depicted on the flag of Mongolia, in 1686 based on the Lantsa script of India, which served as the alphabet for Mongolian Buddhist texts. A special character of the script, the Soyombo symbol, became the national symbol of Mongolia and first appeared on the national flag in 1921.
After bringing the State Flag of Mongolia, Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar J.Batbayasgalan said, “Undur Gegeen Zanabazar first established the capital of Ulaanbaatar under the name of Urguu (Palace). Now Ulaanbaatar is developing intensively and meets standards of metropolitan cities. I am very happy that Gandantegchinlen Monastery brought back Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam in 2015. This festival has attracted tourists since its first installment. For example, more than 3,000 tourists gathered here today to watch this precious and unique festival.”
Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam aims to promote Mongolian traditions and culture, and preserve Buddhist rituals and performances dedicated to the wellbeing of the people.
All the Buddhist monasteries in Ulaanbaatar sent their monks to Danshig Naadam – Khuree Tsam 2017 to perform spiritual readings and rituals for the wellbeing of Mongolians.
The most interesting event of the festival is Khuree Tsam (a religious masked dance). Over 120 tsam dancers performed Khuree Tsam at the Central Stadium.
Mongolians consider Tsam dance to be a ceremony to ward off evil. The costumes for Tsam dance are magnificently ornamented using rare and unique materials.
Art performances, a domestic product fair, and food festivals were organized during the two-day festival.