Blog: Yak Festival

The First Ever Yak Festival: Mongolia 2016

The first ever “Annual Yak Festival” took place in Bat-Ulzii district, Mongolia in July this year. The aim is to promote the benefits yaks bring to local communities thus helping to preserve yak-based nomadic culture. Yaks have rich milk, fine wool, require least care of all domestic animals and can graze in remote mountain tops while surviving Mongolia’s harsh winters.

A saddle-yak waiting for the game to begin; also a contender for “most beautiful yak”

Over 400 local people gathered at Bat-Ulzii and competed in rodeos including yak bucking, yak lassoing, yak polo and yak races. A team of three judges, along with two local yak herders, judged the ‘Beautiful Yak’ category.

Yak Polo – not for the faint-hearted!

During the festival, local herders exhibited yak products including clotted cream crust, cheese, curd, dried curd from yak milk and leather goods such as lassos, horse saddles, belts and ropes made of yak hair.
Mongolia’s renowned ‘airag’, fermented mare’s milk, and ‘khuushuur’, fried pasty made from yak meat, were real winners during the festival.

Plans for Yak Festival 2017 are well in-hand.

Riding a bucking rodeo yak