Mongolian wrestlers

During my travels in Mongolia last summer, I had the privilege of watching a wrestling championship at the festival honouring the holy Otgontenger mountain in the Hangai mountain range in central Mongolia.


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The traditional Mongolian wrestler's outfit is, according to legend, designed so that you can tell if the wrestler is a man or a woman. Women are not allowed to participate in wrestling, perhaps because it would be 'dishonourable' if a man was beaten by a woman.

In traditional Mongolian society the roles of women and men are strictly divided: basically, men tend to the horses and hunt, and women do everything else.


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