Thursday 10 May 2007

Mongolian wrestlers

During my travels in Mongolia last summer, I had the privilege of watching a wrestling championship at the festival honouring the holy Otgontenger mountain in the Hangai mountain range in central Mongolia.

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(View full size of picture 1. View full size of picture 2.)

The traditional Mongolian wrestler's outfit is, according to legend, designed so that you can tell if the wrestler is a man or a woman. Women are not allowed to participate in wrestling, perhaps because it would be 'dishonourable' if a man was beaten by a woman.

In traditional Mongolian society the roles of women and men are strictly divided: basically, men tend to the horses and hunt, and women do everything else.

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