Other Festivals

Mongolian Yak Festival 

Mongolian Yak Festival is an annual event celebrated in the Orkhon River Valley in Bat-Ulziit soum, Uvurkhangai province on 23 July. Except for the Yak Festival, the Orkhon River Valley is famous for its outstanding nature, top attractions, Buddhist Monasteries, historical remains, and evidence. Therefore, the Orkhon Valley has been registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The organizers of the Yak Festival are an administrative office of Uvurkhangai Province, an administrative office of Bat-Ulziit soum, and The World Cultural Heritage Site Orkhon River Tourist Association.

The main purpose of the festival is to promote the yak herder nomads, improve and increase the benefits of the yak-related products, introduce the yak culture to the public, and attract tourists.

The main events of the Yak Festivals are:

ü  The opening speech of a local governor followed by a yak parade and performance

ü  Yak lassoing (The participants lasso a yak from an untrained herd of yaks)

ü  Yak training (The participants ride and train the yaks they lasso)

ü  Team competition of the yak herders (the competition type differs)

ü  Polo sport while riding yaks (Could be some of the most interesting and fun sports. Yak is a strong animal among the other animals of the nomads)

ü  Nice yak competition (The criteria are both an appearance of the yak and its decorative ornaments)

ü  Yak racing – (The Yak Festival tends to be a fun activity and could be some of the slowest races. Almost half of the yaks reach the finish line walking or barely trotting. Many untrained yaks give up the race halfway.)

ü  Best yak product competition (Dairy products, yak hair/skin/horn products, and all new ideas or creativity)

ü  A demonstration of yak wool rope making (The rope plays an important role in nomadic housing and animal tethering)

ü  Demonstration of yak dairy product making (You will see how many different types of products the nomads produce)

ü  Best of the best yaks gather in one place allowing the nomads to exchange experiences and if they wish, bargain and trading

ü  The festival closes with the competition winner's prizes

ü  Except for the Yak Festival, the Mongolian people wear their nicest traditional clothes and the arena is the meeting point for friends, relatives, and local communities.

ü  Yak riding is available for the audience

About Mongolian Yak

There are approximately 1,005,000 yaks in 13 provinces of Mongolia. Thus, Mongolia has the world’s second-largest yak heads in the world after China. The world yak population is 14.2 million. The mountainous yak habitat areas of Arkhangai, Uvurkhangai, Khuvsgul, Bayan-Ulgii, Uvs, and Khovd provinces are among the top tourist destinations in Mongolia. Not only the mountainous northern and western regions of Mongolia. The yaks are in mountainous areas of the Gobi Desert such as Bayankhongor, Zavkhan, and Gobi Altai provinces. The yaks were domesticated relatively late and their isolated mountainous pastureland influences the animal’s strong character.