Golden Eagle Festival (October 2, 3)
The Golden eagle festival has been the largest gathering of eagle hunters and their eagles in the world. Eagle hunters celebrate their heritage and compete to catch small animals such as foxes and hares with specially trained golden eagles, showing off the skills of both the birds and their trainers. (Nowadays hunting live animals is not practiced during festivals anymore, instead eagles chase fox skin dragged by its owner on horseback.). Prizes are awarded for speed, agility and accuracy. Festivities which incorporate an opening ceremony, impressive parade, cultural exhibitions, demonstrations and handcraft followed by sporting activities and competitions take place 3 km out towards the mountains. Dressed in full eagle hunting outfits and mounted on groomed decorated horses, the hunters compete for the different awards of best-looking eagle and owner, best eagle locating its owner from distance etc…Other sporting activities include camel racing, archery, “Kiz Kuar” century old woman chasing game, “Tinge Lu” the competition where horse riders snatch coins from ground and the highly entertaining traditional game “Kokbar”- goatskin tug war on horseback.
In the evening a traditional Kazakh folklore concert is held in Olgii theatre.
(Hotel B, L, D)