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The Great Kurultáj or briefly Kurultáj is a traditional event of peoples of Central Asian steppe nomadic origins, which takes place in the first week of August in Bugac, Hungary. The aim of this event is to strengthen the unity of the steppe-nomadic horse culture and traditions between Hungarians and their cultural relatives, Eastern peoples. The first Kurultaj was held in the Torgai region of Kazakhstan in 2007. The first Kurultaj in Hungary was held in 2008. These events contributed much to the revival of the Altaic self-awareness.
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Kurultaj is a widely attended event for professional horsemen and fans of horse riding. Each Kurultaj holds the parade of horsemen, horse races, traditional horsemen wrestling, and various tournaments. Only Hungary, among European nations, has preserved the traditional kokpar game, a strategic team sport for riders.
Participating nations
Name
The word ”kurultaj” and its variations in the Turkic languages translates as “meeting of the tribes”. It occurs amongst tribal nations and practically in all the nomadic cultures. Hungarian nomadic tribes also held these meetings, a fact that is mentioned in Byzantine and Arab written sources. At such meetings, important decisions were made, in particular, the leaders of the tribes would meet often to discuss military decisions and strategies.
Events
The Kurultaj of 2013 took place from August 9 to 11.
The Kurultaj of 2014 took place at Bugac in the Southern Great Plain region in Hungary.
The events of 2015 were organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation with contributions from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and named the year's event Ancestors Day. Representatives from the governments of Hungary and Turkey joined the festivities as well.
The Kurultáj of 2016 took place from August 12 to 14 at Bugac.