Ulaanbaatar
“Yak of Saikhan” festival held at Gurvansaikhan Mountain
Art & Culture
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ ‘Yaks of Saikhan- 2017” festival was held on May 27 at Yoliin am (Yol Gorge) of Gurvan Saikhan Mountains in Khankhongor soum of Umnugobi aimag. Some 1500 domestic and 60 foreign travelers and tourists attended the festival, which has been organized since 2012. Herders of five soums took part in the festival with their 500 yaks, competing in yak race and relay competition. Challenges named after soums, contest of best breed yaks and cows, games and contests, presenting customs related to yak entertained the audience.
The event has been organized annually by the Governor’s office of Umnugobi aimag, Departments of Food and Agriculture, Environment and Tourism, Physical Training and Sports, Administration Office of Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park and Governor’s Offices of soums, which have yaks. The festival targets to conservation of tradition of raising yaks in the Gobi region, increase of yak population, backing-up herders to raise yaks, publicizing them and improvement of yak’s value through developing tourism.
The event has been organized annually by the Governor’s office of Umnugobi aimag, Departments of Food and Agriculture, Environment and Tourism, Physical Training and Sports, Administration Office of Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park and Governor’s Offices of soums, which have yaks. The festival targets to conservation of tradition of raising yaks in the Gobi region, increase of yak population, backing-up herders to raise yaks, publicizing them and improvement of yak’s value through developing tourism.
A bonus of MNT5000 for each yak in the festival was granted to herders as a stimulus for active participation.
Umnugobi aimag has 835 heads of yaks as of the end of 2016, according to animal population census. Herders of Umnugobi aimag raise yaks, grazing them in surrounding areas of Gurvan Saikhan Mountains, which lie on the territories of Dalanzadgad, Khankhongor, Khurmen, Bayandalai and Bulgan soums and Bayandalai soum has the highest number of yaks.
B.Ooluun
