Story
The first mention of the struggle is found in the "Secret History of the Mongols" (): "Once at a feast, Genghis Khan offered to fight Buri-Buke with Belgudey."
Wrestling competitions were an integral part of the Buryat folk holidays Taylagan, Sagaalgan, etc., and were part of the wedding rite. The competition of wrestlers reached a special scope at traditional games Eren Gurban Naadan(three games of husbands), which were arranged during various holidays and significant events. In addition to the bukhe-barildaan wrestling, the participants competed in horse races - mori-urildaan and archery - surkhaban .
Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Nicholas II, as heir to the throne, visited the Trans-Baikal region in June 1891 and met with representatives of the Agin Buryats on the Tura River, where traditional games were held in honor of the Tsarevich Eren Gurban Naadan. This event is captured in the photo, which became the first picture of the Buryat wrestling.
Rules
In wrestling, a variety of techniques are used, various techniques, both with grips and without grips.
Mongolian wrestling has its own rituals, rules and specific features: before, fights were not limited in time (now there are temporary restrictions), there are no weight categories, the fight takes place in open space, the one who first touches the ground with any part of the body, except for the soles of the feet and hands, each wrestler has his own second - “zasuul”, after the fight the loser must pass under the winner’s raised right hand as a sign that he admits his defeat. The winner performs the traditional eagle dance.
Ranks
On the national holiday - Nadom, which takes place from July 11 to 13, from 512 to 1024 wrestlers fight. Fight in pairs, knockout. Accordingly, there are from 9 to 10 rounds - “davaa”. Depending on the passage of the “dawaa”, special honorary titles are awarded:
Costume
The wrestlers are dressed in a special wrestling costume: national boots with curved toes - "Mongol Gutal", short shorts - "Shuudag" and a kind of short shirt with an open chest - "Zodog".
AT bukhe-barildaan(Buryat wrestling) wrestlers before the fight took off their clothes and fought barefoot in trousers with trousers rolled up on the hips. Such clothes are described in the sources and are typical for the Eastern Agin Buryats. In the contact zone with the Mongols and under the influence of the latter, the fight was carried out in short swimming shorts and traditional high boots.
Fight Buryats during the holidays. Postcard from 1904 (based on the first photograph of the Buryat struggle)
The first mention of the struggle is found in the "Secret History of the Mongols" (): "Once at a feast, Genghis Khan offered to fight Buri-Buke with Belgudey."
Wrestling competitions were an integral part of the Buryat folk holidays tailgan, sagaalgan, etc., and were part of the wedding ceremony. The competition of wrestlers reached a special scope at traditional games Eren Gurban Naadan(three games of husbands), which were arranged during various holidays and significant events. Beyond the fight buhe barildaan, the participants competed in the races - mori urildaan and archery - surkharbaan (һүr harbalga) .
Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Nicholas II, as heir to the throne, visited the Trans-Baikal region in June 1891 and met with representatives of the Agin Buryats on the Tura River, where traditional games were held in honor of the Tsarevich Eren Gurban Naadan. This event is captured in the photo, which became the first picture of the Buryat wrestling.
Rules
In wrestling, a variety of techniques are used, various techniques, both with grips and without grips.
Mongolian wrestling has its own rituals, rules and specific features: before, fights were not limited in time (now there are temporary restrictions), there are no weight categories, the fight takes place in open space, the one who first touches the ground with any part of the body, except for the soles of the feet and hands, each wrestler has his own second - “zasuul”, after the fight the loser must pass under the winner’s raised right hand as a sign that he admits his defeat. The winner performs the traditional eagle dance.
Ranks
On the national holiday - Nadom, which takes place from July 11 to 13, from 512 to 1024 wrestlers fight. Fight in pairs, knockout. Accordingly, there are from 9 to 10 rounds - “davaa”. Depending on the passage of the “dawaa”, special honorary titles are awarded:
Costume
The wrestlers are dressed in a special wrestling costume: national boots with curved toes - "Mongol Gutal", short shorts - "Shuudag" and a kind of short shirt with an open chest - "Zodog".
AT bukhe-barildaan(Buryat wrestling) wrestlers before the fight took off their clothes and fought barefoot in trousers with trousers rolled up on the hips. Such clothes are described in the sources and are typical for
Photo by Xinhua Agency
The Mongols came from the plains of the north and northwest of China. In 1206 this nomadic group united around a tribal prince named Temujin who took the name Genghis Khan which means “universal ruler”. The Mongols had no settled homes and did not grow any crops. Their families lived in portable felt dwellings, called yurts or gers, which were made of thick woolen cloth stretched over a wooden frame. These nomad warriors moved from place to place, hunting wild animals for food and seeking fresh grass for their horses, sheep and cows. Everyone traveled on horseback – Mongol children were taught to ride by the time they were five years old. Mongol men and women valued warrior skills, such as toughness, bravery and strength.
During long military campaigns when men were out women took care of homes and land, so they had to know how to fight, with weapons or without it. The Venetian merchant Marco Polo describes a Mongol princess named Ai-Yaruk, or “Bright Moon,” (she is known as Khutulun*) who refused to get married until she met a man that could throw her. It is likely that during his travels Polo really did see some Mongol women wrestling. Mongol wrestling is jacket wrestling and the ulterior motive is to gain reputation and/or property. Princess Ai-Yaruk, for instance, reportedly won thousands of horses during her bouts with luckless suitors.
Wrestling in the modern Inner Mongolia territory has a history of nearly 2,000 years. On the bronze plates unearthed from the ruins of the Hun of the early Han Dynasty, there are even motifs featuring wrestling. Originally, Mongolian wrestling Bokh was very much focused on its nature as a military sport, mainly for strength, stamina and skills training. The Yuan-Dynasty Emperors were keen supporters of the wrestling sport. Whenever there were important feasts, wrestlers were invited to add to the fun. And wrestling was a key item for deciding the candidate rankings in imperial martial exams. Outstanding wrestlers were entitled to high distinctions.
In old times, any wresting event included a female round. Till the 14th century there were also Mongol women warrior wrestlers such as Khutulun. Ancient Mongols thought that strong, healthy, fully productive and developed women are essential to maintain the nation. Then this practice ceased, probably due to Buddhism influence. While in Mongolia women stopped wrestling long ago, in Chinese Inner Mongolia they managed to preserve the sport. Currently, the biggest wrestling events in Inner Mongolia occur during the Naadam Fair (“Game Fair”), a festival of Mongolian ethnic group. Naadam Fair is the most important holiday of Mongolians. Nowadays, hundreds of female wrestlers come together at this annual folk festival held on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia – to pit their skills and strength against each other and to amuse numerous spectators.
Mongolian wrestling style Bokh (“strength, solidarity and durability” in Mongolian), which remains extremely popular until now, was born in the 11th century This style consists of two sub-styles: Khalkas style Bohiin Barildaan, popular in the state of Mongolia and Bukh Barildah popular in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia.
In fact, Bukh Barildah is a form of the traditional Mongolian wrestling Bokh (Bukh), extremely popular across Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, among local ethnic groups – Mongols and Buryats. Some other ethnic groups call this wrestling style differently: Validi, Tali, etc.
The technical rules in the Mongolian version and what is found in Inner Mongolia have some divergence. In both versions a variety of throws, trips and lifts are employed to topple the opponent. Wrestlers use specific technique – grabbing by a jacket (“jodag”) which is mandatory for wrestlers. The Inner Mongolians may not touch their opponent's legs with their hands, whereas, in Mongolia, grabbing your opponent's legs is legal. In addition, striking, strangling or locking is illegal in both varieties.
The wrestler's outfit is also different in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia itself. Wrestlers of the state of Mongolia wear a tight heavy-duty short-sleeved jacket “jodag” of red or blue color. Traditionally made of wool, modern wrestlers have changed to looser materials such as cotton and silk. Wrestlers in Mongolia must have the front open, but tied at the back with a simple string knot, thus exposing the wrestler’s chest. According to a legend, on one occasion a wrestler defeated all other combatants and ripped open the jodag to reveal her breasts, showing to all she was a woman. From that day, the jodag had to reveal the wrestler's chest. In the state of Mongolia, wrestlers wear small tight-fitting briefs made of red and blue colored cotton cloth (“shuudag”) covering thighs and exposing the belly. In Inner Mongolia exposing chest is not mandatory (which suits women); wrestler’s attire consists of leather jacket (“tseezhne”) lined with silver or copper circular plates, multicolored belts and loose trousers (“shalbyr”). Wrestlers of both styles wear leather boots with slightly upturned toes (“gutal”). Wrestlers who have gained considerable renown through contests may also wear a jangga, a necklace decorated with strands of colorful silk ribbons. Depending on the numbers of victories, wrestlers are awarded lifelong titles: Avraga (Giant), Arslan (Lion), Zaan (Elephant), etc.
Nowadays, wrestling is very popular in Inner Mongolia – among both men and women. Competitions are held in a simple and solemn manner. The number of participants in a wrestling match must be the power of 2, such as 32, 64, 128, etc. When the match begins, wrestlers wave their strong arms and dance into the site by imitating the movements of lions, deer and eagles. While women in the state of Mongolia do not participate in wrestling contests unless for tourist amusement, in Inner Mongolia their participation is on a large scale.
Bukh Barildah matches are typically conducted outdoors, except during extremely cold winters, when it is held indoors. Mongolian wrestlers are not paired by size or weight, and there's no time limit for the match. A wrestler loses if and when he touches the ground with any part above his knees. The sport of wrestling requires good coordination between waist and leg movements. A wrestler is expected to fully display his strength and skills in the match.
The legendary grappling skills of Mongolian wrestlers have influenced Chinese Kung Fu practitioners and Russian Sambo.Sources
As the champion of the Mongolian national wrestling said, it took him 45 years to create 3 volumes of this book. In other words, the books are the result of his life and struggle.
The books are called “Mongol bohiin barildaany ov, mehiin chuulgan sudar” - “Sutra-collection of the heritage of Mongolian national wrestling techniques”. In 3 volumes, 725 techniques of the Mongolian national wrestling are described, which are illustrated with photographs, provided with instructions and comments. In the comments you can find out about every move of the wrestler. Each technique has its own name. Translating them from Mongolian to another language is very difficult. Nevertheless, the Great Giant decided to translate his books into English.
He even mentioned the high skills and tricks of each of the famous champion wrestlers. For example, he described how and what techniques were used by his former eternal rival, the father of the yokozuna Hakuho, J. Monkhbat.
No one has written about the Mongolian national wrestling before, including the Mongolian wrestling techniques. These books are the result of a huge work, in addition to describing the techniques, they also contain the results of the author's scientific work devoted to the study of the Mongolian wrestling.
The same author identified the 800-year-old Mongolian national wrestling technique mentioned in the Secret History of the Mongols. This technique belongs to Buri-bohu of the Khatagin clan, the son of Khutagt Monkhor from the Zhurkhen aimag tribe. He fought with Genghis Khan's younger brother Belgutei, the son of Khatun Sochigel, one of the Khatuns of Yesugei, Genghis Khan's father. The “Secret History of the Mongols” says: “Once Genghis Khan appointed a fight between Buri-Bokh and Belgutei. Buri-Bokh possessed such strength that he could knock down Belgutey, acting only with one hand and one foot.
It is written about zhurkhents like this: "Each of the husbands is skilled, a mighty fighter with the Force."
Their avarga (Great Giant Champion) H. Bayanmönkh in his book described in detail how to use Mongolian techniques in judo, freestyle wrestling, sambo and other types of wrestling.
The author decided that his books would be sold in bookstores, but in order for Mongolian children to inherit these precious skills and the history of the Mongolian national struggle, he would first of all sell them in secondary schools.
His books will be bestsellers, that's for sure. So he wants to distribute them to all schools in Mongolia before the books become scarce.
This book will be for children who dream of becoming fighters, a teacher, mentor, close friend and friend, as the Russian writer V.F. Bokov wrote. And for those who respect and honor the Mongolian tradition and national history, it will become a real “sutra”. Over time, the value of these books will only increase.
Khorloogiin Bayanmonkh, at the birth of Khorloogiin Sukhbaatar, was born on February 22, 1944 in Khyargas soum, Uvs, Mongolia - a Mongolian freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler, sambo wrestler, participant in five Olympiads, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, world champion, champion of the Asian Games, 14- multiple champion of Mongolia in freestyle wrestling, silver medalist of the Asian Games in Greco-Roman wrestling, world champion in sambo, 10-time winner of tournaments in national Mongolian wrestling, one of two holders of the title “Great Nationwide Invincible Giant” in national Mongolian wrestling. Honored Master of Sports of Mongolia and the USSR (1972). Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences (1994). Hero of Labor of Mongolia. Father of Bayanmunkhin Gantogtokh, a participant in the 1996 Olympic Games, a multiple winner of the Asian Championships in freestyle wrestling.
Born in 1944 in the family of an arat cattle breeder. At the age of six, due to his susceptibility to diseases, his name was changed from Sukhbaatar to Bayanmunkh.
At the age of 10, he lost his father. From the age of 12 he began to take part in local competitions in national wrestling and already at the age of 16 he was able to achieve the title of zaan (“elephant”, for seven victories in a row during the tournament). He was noticed, and since 1961 he began to study at the university and engage in wrestling in Ulaanbaatar.
Since 1963, he successfully performed at national wrestling competitions.
At the 1964 Olympics, he competed in freestyle wrestling in the middleweight division. In 1973, he was only fourth at the World Championships. 1974 was a busy year for the wrestler. He became the silver medalist of the World Championship and the winner of the Asian Games in freestyle wrestling, the silver medalist of the Asian Games in Greco-Roman wrestling, and, speaking at the World Sambo Championship in Ulaanbaatar, won a gold medal there. In 1975 he became the bronze medalist of the World Cup and the world champion in freestyle wrestling, won a silver medal at the World Sambo Championship. At the 1976 Olympics, he competed in freestyle wrestling in heavy weight and remained in fifth place.
After the end of his international sports career, he was in coaching and at the same time competed in national wrestling until 1992.
In 1994 he defended his doctoral dissertation on pedagogical problems in Mongolian wrestling, its traditions and style. Author of the autobiographical book "My Victories". Member of the Mongolian Parliament (since 2000).
