Sketch of naadam festival
Lodai’s portrait of a naadam festival with all the three manly sports happening at the same time: at the top right a group of noble guests sit under the canopy and watch the wrestlers, in the middle the archers are at their game and below, the horse race is in full swing and closely followed by the audience, some with binoculars. In the top left corner, the Buddhist monks perform the spiritual part of the ceremonies. No oboo is seen on the picture; either it is located away from the sportive arena, or, the artist depicts the naadam traditions of the Khalkh as they appeared in 1930s Mongolia when the religious ceremonies were no longer centered around the oboo. Scetch by Lodai lama, 1938.
