Ulaanbaatar
18th annual Blue Pearl ice festival wraps up
PoliticsUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Blue Pearl 2017 ice festival has completed with success on the frozen Lake Huvsgul. Last week, more than 10,000 national and international tourists and 2,000 vehicles gathered for the festival at the Hatgal Village of Huvsgul aimag.
Aimed at paying tribute to the “Mother Lake” and promoting winter tourism, ice festival has been organized each year for the last 18 years. The performance by a young Russian ice-skater was the most appreciated by audience. This year’s highlights were the show performed by a hockey club of Mongolia and dogsled tours.
A local team of cyclists makes a full circle around the lake as a tradition during the ice festival. This year, a 68-year-old cyclist Sh.Yondondash stole the show by coming to the festival all the way from Ulaanbaatar on a bicycle, cruising distance of 900 kilometers within seven days.
Moreover, the ice sculptures are the essential part of this annual event. Named as the best creation was the sculpture called “Melody of the Mother Lake”, meaning of which was explained by the sculptor D.Enkhbat as it had expressed that there is still a melody of water and life under the frozen lake. Twelve teams have challenged themselves in ice sculpting competition.
Two ice villages were built, in order to deliver a message and appeal to love the mother earth and protect the surrounding environment. The gamekeeping staff of the Red Taiga specially protected area have treated the festival-goers with wild berries, which had been grown by themselves, from ice bowls.
The most relied-on vehicle at the festival was the horse-sleds, dragging the passengers around on the frozen lake to Khusliin Khad (The Rock of Wishes), told to have been granting wishes of the visitors.
Festival-goers also enjoyed taking photographs with the reindeers, the sixth type of livestock in Mongolia. They also had the opportunity to witness the lifestyle of reindeer herders, native to Huvsgul’s taiga.Amateur competitions, such as the ice-knuckle-bone shooting contest, race of sledhorses, war of tug, sumo wrestling and traditional costume shows, were held.
This year’s ice festival was participated by 5 heads of diplomatic missions in Mongolia. The number of festival-goers almost doubled compared to that of 2016.
The officials applauded the organization of the festival by saying that it had allowed people a chance to enjoy the fresh air and mesmerizing landscape of Ikh Saridag Mountain and Lake Huvsgul, as well as to experience the unique winter culture of Mongolia.
