
10
Nov 2016Yak Festival
Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, Horse Riding Holidays, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /
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.
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.
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.