Where to Attend:
Ulaanbaatar: Biggest, most tourists
Countryside Naadams: More authentic, fewer tourists, locals only
Best Time: July 11-13 (National Naadam coinciding with Revolution Day)
Cost: Main stadium tickets ₹1,000-3,000, countryside festivals often free
6. Sumo Tournaments, Japan (6 Times Yearly)
The Sport:
1,500+ years old. Shinto ritual as much as sport.
The Grand Tournaments (Honbasho):
When: January, March, May, July, September, November (each lasts 15 days)
Where: Tokyo (3x), Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka
What Makes It Traditional:
Shinto Rituals:
- Ring purification with salt
- Ceremonial stomping (driving away evil spirits)
- Referee wears Shinto priest clothing
- Sacred rope (shimenawa) hangs above ring
Lifestyle: Wrestlers live in stables (heya), follow ancient codes, wear topknots (chonmage)
Rules: Haven't changed in centuries. Force opponent out of ring or make any body part besides feet touch ground.
The Experience:
Morning: Practice sessions (open to public, free)
Afternoon/Evening: Tournament matches
Duration: All-day event (lower ranks fight first, champions last)
Rituals Between Every Match: Salt throwing, posturing, psychological warfare
Attending:
Tickets: ₹2,000-20,000 depending on seats
Best Seats: Ringside (tatami mat seating, traditional)
Etiquette: Strict—silence during matches, don't leave during bouts
Where: Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo sumo hall)
Why It Matters:
Last remaining major sport where ancient rituals are preserved intact. Every match is mini Shinto ceremony.
7. Sepak Takraw Festivals, Southeast Asia (Throughout Year)
The Sport:
Volleyball using feet, head, knees, chest. No hands allowed. 500+ years old.
Traditional Form: Rattan ball, circular formation, players keep ball in air (non-competitive).
Modern Competitive Form: Net sport (like volleyball but using feet).
Major Festivals:
Thailand: King's Cup (December), multiple regional festivals
Malaysia: ISTAF Super Series
Philippines: Palarong Pambansa (National Games)
What Makes It Spectacular:
Acrobatics: Players perform bicycle kicks, scissor kicks while keeping ball in air.
Speed: Fastest recorded spike: 140 km/h (with foot!)
Skill: Requires incredible flexibility, coordination, timing.
Traditional Version:
Still played in villages. Circle of players, rattan ball (takraw), goal is keep ball in air using any body part except hands. Meditative, communal, no competition.
Watching:
Southeast Asian Games (every 2 years) feature it prominently. Local tournaments in Thailand/Malaysia free to watch.
Europe: Celtic and Nordic Heritage Games
8. Highland Games, Scotland (May-September)
The Tradition:
Gatherings of Scottish clans. 1,000+ years old (formalized in 11th century).
The Events:
Caber Toss: Throwing 19-foot tall, 175-pound wooden pole. Must flip end-over-end.
Stone Put: Similar to shot put but using river stones (16-22 pounds).
Hammer Throw: 16-22 pound weight with wooden handle. Spin and throw for distance.
Weight Over Bar: Throw 56-pound weight over horizontal bar (heights reach 18+ feet).
Sheaf Toss: Pitchfork tossing 20-pound burlap bag over bar.
Tug of War: Teams pulling rope.
Beyond Athletic Events:
Pipe Band Competitions: Bagpipe and drum corps
Highland Dancing: Traditional Scottish dances (sword dance, highland fling)
Clan Gatherings: Families meeting, genealogy research
The Atmosphere:
Tartan everywhere. Bagpipes constantly. Men in kilts. Whisky. Scottish pride.
Major Games:
Braemar Gathering (September): Royal family attends, most prestigious
Cowal Highland Gathering (August): Largest (3,500+ competitors)
Where to Attend:
150+ Highland Games across Scotland (May-September). Also held in Canada, USA, Australia (Scottish diaspora).
Cost: £10-30 entry
Why It Matters:
These events kept Scottish culture alive during English occupation. Sports became acts of cultural resistance.
9. Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling, Turkey (July)
The Sport:
650+ years old. Wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil. Wear leather pants (kispet). Try to pin opponent.
The Festival:
When: July (one week)
Where: Edirne, Turkey
What Happens:
- 40+ weight categories
- 1,000+ wrestlers compete
- Matches can last hours (no time limit)
- Covered in oil makes gripping impossible—pure technique required
- Winner: Pins opponent or lifts them above shoulders
Ritual Elements:
Prayer before tournament
Traditional music (davul and zurna) plays throughout
Winner kisses hand of referee (respect)
Golden Belt: Grand champion wins golden belt, becomes "Başpehlivan" (Chief Wrestler)
Why Oil?
Levels playing field. Can't rely on grips. Must use superior technique, leverage, endurance.
The Atmosphere:
Thousands of spectators. Betting (traditional). Food stalls. Celebration of Turkish culture.
Attending:
Free to watch preliminaries. Finals require tickets (₹500-2,000).
Cultural Note:
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2010). Turkey takes this very seriously.
Americas: Indigenous Games Revival
10. World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, Alaska (July)
The Games:
Indigenous Alaskan sports. Founded 1961 to preserve traditional games.
The Events:
Seal Hop: Hop on knuckles and toes (simulates seal movement). Furthest distance wins. Looks impossible. Is impossible (for non-natives).
Knuckle Hop: Similar but on knuckles only. Bloody, painful, tests endurance.
Ear Pull: Sinew loop behind ears of two competitors. Pull until someone gives up. Tests pain tolerance.
One-Foot High Kick: Jump on one foot, kick ball suspended in air with same foot, land on same foot. Heights reach 8+ feet.
Two-Foot High Kick: Similar but using both feet. Jump, kick, land balanced.
Blanket Toss (Nalukataq): Traditional whaling celebration. Person bounced on walrus-skin blanket. Heights: 30+ feet.
Purpose of These Sports:
Survival Skills: Jumping high = spotting seals from distance. Endurance = surviving Arctic conditions. Pain tolerance = essential in harsh environment.
Community Building: Long winters, isolated villages. Games brought people together.
Why They're Preserved:
These skills saved lives for centuries. Sports preserve knowledge.
Attending:
When: Mid-July (3 days)
Where: Fairbanks, Alaska
Who Competes: Indigenous Alaskans (priority), but open to all
Atmosphere: Cultural celebration, dancing, storytelling, native foods
Cost: Tickets ~$20-50
11. Mesoamerican Ballgame Revivals, Mexico/Central America
The Ancient Game:
3,000+ years old. Played by Maya, Aztec, other Mesoamerican civilizations.
Rules (Reconstructed):
- Heavy rubber ball (3-4 kg)
- Keep ball in air using hips, elbows, knees
- Score by hitting markers on walls
- Some versions: Losing team sacrificed (debated by historians)
Modern Revival:
Where: Chichen Itza, Xcaret Park, various archaeological sites
What Happens:
- Demonstration games using reconstructed rules
- Traditional equipment (rubber ball, protective gear)
- Explanation of historical/cultural significance
- Performance element (entertaining but educational)
Why It's Not Fully "Traditional":
Rules partially lost to history. Modern versions are reconstructions based on archaeological evidence, codices, Spanish colonial accounts.
But It Matters:
Keeping awareness alive. Younger generations learning about pre-Columbian sports. Cultural pride.
Attending:
Chichen Itza demonstrations: Daily (included in site entry)
Xcaret Park: Regular performances (₹1,500-3,000 park entry)
Traditional tournaments: Occasionally held in Guatemala, Honduras
Africa: Tribal Sports Enduring
12. Dambe Boxing, Nigeria
The Sport:
Hausa martial art. One hand wrapped in cord (spear hand), other hand for defense (shield hand). Knockout or opponent touches ground = win.
The Tradition:
Butchers' sport originally. Traveling performers went village to village demonstrating.
Modern Form:
Still practiced in Northern Nigeria. Tournaments during harvest festivals.
The Fight:
- Three rounds
- Spear hand wrapped in cord (sometimes chain)
- Kicks allowed (aimed at opponent's legs)
- Knockout, opponent falls, or referee stoppage ends match
The Rituals:
Pre-fight: Drummers, dancers, spiritual preparation
Amulets: Fighters wear protective charms
Community: Entire villages attend, place bets
Why It Survives:
Cultural pride. Entertainment. Martial tradition. Young men proving themselves.
Watching:
Requires local contacts. Not tourist-marketed. Happens during harvest festivals (October-December) in Northern Nigeria.
How These Festivals Preserve Heritage
Mechanism 1: Intergenerational Transmission
Unlike Written Rulebooks:
Traditional sports passed through doing. Elder teaches young. Young becomes elder. Cycle continues.
Example: Kalaripayattu students spend years watching Gurukkal before attempting advanced techniques. Knowledge embedded in muscle memory, not textbooks.
Mechanism 2: Community Reinforcement
These Aren't Individual Sports:
They're community events. Your participation matters. Your attendance matters. Your cheering matters.
Result: Social pressure to maintain tradition. If you don't participate, you let community down.
Mechanism 3: Identity and Pride
Sports as Cultural Markers:
Being Mongolian = knowing wrestling, archery, riding.
Being Scottish = understanding Highland Games significance.
Being Punjabi = respecting kabaddi.
When culture threatened, sports become symbols of resistance and preservation.
Mechanism 4: Economic Incentives
Modern Reality:
Some festivals now attract tourists. Tourism brings money. Money incentivizes preservation.
Example: Naadam Festival in Mongolia is now major tourist attraction. Government invests in preservation because it's economically valuable.
Ethical Question: Is commercialization good (saves tradition) or bad (corrupts tradition)?
Answer: Complicated. Both true simultaneously.
Threats to Traditional Sports
Threat 1: Modernization
Young People: Would rather play cricket, football, video games than learn traditional sports.
Urbanization: Traditional sports often rural. When people move to cities, connection breaks.
Threat 2: Lack of Institutional Support
Government Funding: Goes to cricket, football, hockey. Traditional sports get crumbs.
Media Coverage: Zero. When did you last see Mallakhamb on ESPN?
Threat 3: Safety and Animal Welfare Concerns
Jallikattu, bullfighting, some wrestling forms: Face bans due to safety/animal welfare issues.
Valid concerns. But also: Blanket bans erase heritage.
Middle Ground: Regulation, not elimination. Ensure safety/welfare while preserving tradition.
Threat 4: Loss of Elders
Knowledge holders dying: When the last Kalaripayattu master who knows specific technique dies, that knowledge dies.
No video can capture: The adjustments, the feel, the centuries of refinement.
How to Support Traditional Sports Preservation
1. Attend Festivals
Your presence matters. Attendance keeps organizers motivated. Shows young people this matters.
2. Document and Share
Social media, blogs, videos: Spread awareness. More people learn, more people care.
3. Learn Traditional Sports
Many kalaris, akhadas, training centers teach traditional sports. Enroll. Support them financially through participation.
4. Support Indigenous Athletes
When they compete, watch. When they need funding, contribute.
5. Educate Next Generation
Tell children about traditional sports. Take them to festivals. Make heritage cool.
Final Thoughts: Why Ancient Games Matter in Modern World
Remember that security guard in Bangalore? Krishnan uncle, who mentioned Kalaripayattu?
Six months after our conversation, his Kalari celebrated 400th anniversary. I attended.
150 students (ages 6-60) demonstrated. The youngest was Krishnan uncle's grandson (7 years old). The oldest was the Gurukkal (78 years old).
Four centuries of unbroken tradition. Teacher teaching student. Student becoming teacher. Knowledge flowing like river through generations.
After the demonstration, the Gurukkal said something I'll never forget:
"Modern people think old ways are useless. But these sports teach what your gyms cannot: connection to heritage, respect for elders, discipline of mind, courage of heart. When you lose traditional sports, you lose part of your soul."
He's right.
These aren't just games. They're:
- Repositories of biomechanical knowledge (movement patterns refined over centuries)
- Cultural identity markers (what makes Mongolian Mongolian, Scottish Scottish)
- Community bonds (festivals bringing people together)
- Living history (experiencing what ancestors experienced)
- Philosophical systems (many traditional sports teach life lessons alongside techniques)
When we lose them, we lose all that.
The good news?
They're not lost yet. From Kerala to Mongolia, from Scotland to Nigeria, communities refuse to let heritage die.
Every Naadam Festival, every Highland Game, every Kalaripayattu demonstration, every Jallikattu celebration is an act of cultural preservation.
Every child learning Mallakhamb, every teenager trying Dambe, every tourist watching Sumo is someone carrying tradition forward.
Pick ONE festival from this list.
Go. Watch. Participate if you can. Share what you see.
Because the best way to preserve ancient games?
Show up for them. 🏹🤼⚔️
Your Action Plan:
This Year:
- Choose one traditional sports festival
- Book tickets/plan trip
- Attend with open mind
- Learn the history
- Support local practitioners
- Share your experience
The ancient games survived centuries. They can survive another generation.
But only if we care enough to show up. 🌍