‘Blue Pearl-2017’ ice festival held at Lake Khovsgol
Every year, Lake Khovsgol locally named the Blue Pearl of Mongolia completely freezes over creating an extraordinary winter playground to a depth of five feet.
‘Blue Pearl-2017’ ice festival was held at Lake Khovsgol. The ice festival is an important part of the Mongolian calendar to local people, and provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to see in action, how the natural world, the landscape and the wildlife lies at the center of Mongolian culture and traditions. Every year, Lake Khovsgol locally named the Blue Pearl of Mongolia completely freezes over creating an extraordinary winter playground to a depth of five feet. The nomadic reindeer herders, Tsaatan, from the north, join local residents to celebrate the winter, with traditional games and races over two days. In temperatures of down to -35°C, contestants compete in sports such as ice-skating, ice-wrestling, tug-of-war, dog-sledding and horse sleigh racing. The ice festival at Lake Khovsgol is one of the popular winter attractions of Mongolia and brings in thousands of Mongolian and foreign tourists. The ice festival series ends with a camel festival officially billed as the “Thousand Camel Festival. ”The camel herders, with their woolly-coated, double-humped steeds, compete in races and polo competitions. Visitors are encouraged to join the colorful opening parade, and it is a unique opportunity to interact with the herders and see their nomadic way of life, up close and personal. Performances of traditional Mongolian music and dance are a must during such events.
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