In summer there is a festival all throughout Mongolia called Naadam. Naadam is the most famous traditional festival in Mongolia and the biggest of them all is the one in Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator). It is held during the Naadam National Holiday from the 11th until 13th of July.
The festival begins with an introduction ceremony which includes dancers, athletes, horse riders and musicians. Competitions in archery, riding or wrestling have been organized in Mongolia for centuries. Still, the Naadam is formally held commemorating the revolution in 1921 when Mongolia became the independent country.
After wrestling horse racing is the next event of the Naadam. Horse races in Mongolia are of cross-country type and the races are between 15 and 30 kilometres long. The length of each race is determined by the age of horses. For example 2 years old horse competes for 16.1 kilometres and and seven years old for 27.36 kilometres.