HOLIDAYS

Located on the Gulf of Guinea, the hot and humid West African nation shares borders with Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north.

The region of modern day Benin first came to the attention of the Europeans as a source of slaves with the shores of the region earning the name ‘the Slave Coast’.

Local warlords made agreements with the Portuguese to supply slaves from captured prisoners. One important local kingdom at the time was the Dahomey, known for their military discipline, who grew to be the dominant power in the region. 

Dahomey means ‘on the belly of Dan’. Dan was the name of a rival king. Defeated by the Dahomey, they built their royal compound over his grave. 

With the abolition of the slave trade, the control of the Dahomey was weakened, allowing the French to take over the region at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1904, the colony of French Dahomey was incorporated within French West Africa.

In 1946 with the establishment of the Fourth French Republic, Dahomey became an overseas territory of France with its own parliament and representation in the French national assembly.

On December 4th 1958, it became the Republic of Dahomey (République du Dahomey), a self-governing autonomous republic within the French Community. 

On July 11th 1960 France agreed to Dahomey becoming fully independent. Dahomey gained its full independence on August 1st 1960, with Hubert Maga becoming Dahomey’s first president.

In 1975, the country changed its name to Benin, after the Bight of Benin, a large bay in the Gulf of Guinea.

Mary Prince was a Bermudian slave who published her autobiography, “The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave“. Published in 1831, the book was a first-hand account of the brutality of slavery in Bermuda and the first account of the life of a black woman to be published in England.

Her book remains the only first-hand account in existence of the daily life of a Bermudian slave. The book didn’t make its way to Bermuda over 150 years later when an American scholar doing research on Mary Prince presented a copy of the book to the Bermuda Archives.

Oh the horrors of slavery! – How the thought of it pains my heart! But the truth ought to be told of it; and what my eyes have seen I think it is my duty to relate; for few people in England know what slavery is.

I have been a slave – I have felt what a slave feels, and I know what a slave knows; and I would have all the good people in England to know it too, that they may break our now it too, that they may break our chains, and set us free.

The second day of the Cup Match holiday was previously named after Admiral Sir George Somers, who ran aground in Bermuda on July 28th 1609, which led to the founding of the English colony of Bermuda.

It was a one-off official holiday in 1931 and incorporated into the two-day Cup Match public holiday in 1947.

Since 2018, there had been a push to rename Somers Day to Mary Prince Day, so that Emancipation Day is followed by a holiday that recognises a Bermudian who made an important contribution to the abolition movement.

On announcing the change, Lovitta Foggo, the community minister told the House of Assembly that Ms Prince was “recognised on the world stage for the crucial role she played in the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire”.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 82 islands (65 are inhibited) and is located about 1,750 kilometres (1,000 miles) east of Australia.

Despite their remote location, the islands were permanently inhabited as early as 500BC and were part of the Tongan Empire in the 14th century.

European colonial contact began in 1606 when the islands were visited and claimed by Spain which established a short-lived settlement before they were forgotten again.

The islands were rediscovered in 1768 and were given the name ‘New Hebrides’ by Captain James Cook on his visit in 1774.

It was the French who established the first permanent settlements in the 1850s, with the British claiming parts of the archipelago. In 1906, the modernity of the 20th century meant that rather than beat each other to a standstill for overall control, the two European superpowers instead agreed on a unique framework arrangement called a condominium to share the rule of the New Hebrides. To this day, the three official languages of Vanuatu are Bislama, English and French.

The national dish of Vanuatu is ‘lap lap’, vegetable paste, coconut milk and meat cooked in a banana leaf.

In the 1960s, the movement to secede from the dual colonial control gathered momentum, leading to the establishment of a locally elected assembly. The assembly only lasted a few months due to political differences and infighting. A party of national unity was formed in 1978 and a new constitution providing for independence in 1980 was adopted on October 5th 1979. 

The archipelago gained independence on July 30th 1980 as the Republic of Vanuatu (the name comes from two local words meaning ‘home’ and ‘stand’) and joined the

This day, the first full moon of the fourth month in the Burmese calendar, commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon to five monks in the Deer Park in Benares, India and the founding of the Buddhist sangha (monkhood) about 2,500 years ago.

In the sermon, which is known as ‘Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion’, the Buddha first spelled out the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Waso Full Moon Day marks the beginning of Buddhist lent (Wasso), which generally coincides with the height of Myanmar’s rainy season. Buddhist Lent last for three months from the full moon of Waso until the full moon of Thadingyut. It is normally a time of heightened religious activity around the country. Pilgrims throughout the country gather wild flowers to offer at pagodas, and offer new robes to monks. Almost all monks will not leave the grounds of their monastery during this time.

During the period of Buddhist Lent, many Buddhists will abstain from eating meat, drinking alcohol or smoking. It is also traditionally a time when Myanmar people are not allowed to move house.

Peru was first colonised by the Spanish in the 15th century. Despite the wars of independence being fought across Latin America in the early 19th century, Peru remained loyal to the Spanish crown. There had been some insurrection but this had been quashed by the government.

The Viceroy of Peru then initiated a military campaign against Chile and their fight for independence. Despite some early success, the tide turned against the Viceroy and the Royalist forces. Argentina and Chile then signed a treaty to pursue the ‘liberation’ of Peru. On entering Lima, the Argentinian commander, Jose San Martin declared the independence of Peru on July 28th 1821, with the phrase: “Peru is from this moment free and independent by the general will of the people and by the justice of its cause that God defends.”

However, it wasn’t until 1824, following the decisive victory at the Battle of Ayacucho under the leadership of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín, that independence was achieved.

They say that the Rio Carnival is the greatest show on Earth as the streets of Rio de Janeiro explode in a riot of colour and noise as partygoers from across the world welcome the onset of Lent in early spring. That tradition had made its way from medieval Europe via Africa to the Americas during the age of exploration and the slave trade.

It wasn’t just Brazil that began a tradition of Carnival. From Louisiana in the USA, across the Caribbean and into South America, different geographic, ethnic and religious influences shaped each Carnival to form its unique identity.

Take the Saba Summer Festival as an example. Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Saba is a tiny island only five square miles nestled in the northeastern Caribbean, yet its colourful and exuberant annual festival packs enough “spice per mile” to compete with the grandest of carnivals!

According to Saba Tourism Bureau, Carnival, also known as Saba Summer Festival has been taking place since 1975. It’s held in July as many Sabans living abroad, in particular students furthering their education elsewhere, return home for the Summer holidays. The Saba Summer Festival may use terms familiar to Lent Carnivals such as Jouvert and Last Lap, but the focus here is on having fun rather than a last splurge before the austerity of Lent.

The public holiday for Carnival Monday replaced Whit Monday, which is no longer observed as a public holiday.

Highlights of the festival include the Opening Night Jump-Up, which is when islanders parade through the street, dancing and revelling in the joy of the celebration, live concerts, various competitions, comedy shows, costume competitions, and the costumed parades that take place on the final Saturday and Sunday.

The Republic of Liberia began as a settlement of the American Colonization Society (ACS), who believed black people would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the United States.

Between 1822 and 1861, thousands of free blacks were relocated to the settlement at Cape Mesurado on the Pepper Coast of West Africa. In 1824 the colony was named Liberia, and the main settlement was named Monrovia, which remains the present-day capital.

Monrovia is named in honour of U.S. President James Monroe, who supported the colonization of Liberia by the American Colonization Society. This makes it the only other national capital to be named after a U.S. President; Washington, D.C. being the other.

The settlers faced immense hardships in the initial years with atrocious mortality rates due to disease and conflict with the indigenous peoples. Within twenty years, the colony had grown and established economic stability.

On July 26th 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and promulgated a constitution. The constitution was heavily based on the United States Constitution and established the independent Republic of Liberia. The United Kingdom was the first country to recognize Liberia’s independence, the United States only recognized Liberia’s independence in 1862 during the American Civil War.

Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence, and is Africa’s first and oldest modern republic, maintaining independence despite the colonial expansion in Africa in the late nineteenth century.

The Star and Stripes 

The Liberian flag is based on the flag of the united States and was adopted on July 26th 1847. It has 11 horizontal red stripes representing the 11 men who signed the Liberian Declaration of Independence. The single star represents African freedom.

Fulgencio Batista had led a military coup on 10 March 1952 installing himself as president, supported financially and militarily by the United States government. Batista moved to suspend the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties, including the right to strike. 

Fidel Castro was a lawyer with strong communist views. He had participated in the elections that were cancelled due to Batista’s coup. Castro viewed Batista as an oppressive dictator in the pocket of the US and had begun training rebels with the aim of removing Batista. 

On the morning of 26 July 1953, around 160 men under the command of Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada army garrison in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second-largest city. The attack was seen as an opportunity to arm the rebels and instigate a revolution that would bring down Batista. 

By any measure, the assault was a failure, with deaths on both sides. Many of the rebels were hunted down and executed. Those that were captured, including Castro, were sentenced to long prison sentences; though they only served 22 months due to an amnesty for political prisoners.

Fulgencio Batista was removed from power on 12 January 1959. 

Despite the failure of the attack on the Moncada barracks, it is seen as the catalyst for the Castro-led insurrection that eventually expelled Fulgencio Batista. The date of the attack was adopted by Castro as the name for his revolutionary movement. (Movimiento 26 Julio or M 26-7). 

The damage to the Moncada Barracks was quickly repaired by the military after the attack. The bullet holes were recreated in the façade of the barracks after the revolution’s success.

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios was born in Caracas on July 24th 1783.

He was born into an influential and rich family, but both his parents died before he was ten, and Bolivar was placed under the guidance of several tutors, the most influential being Don Simón Rodríguez, who became his mentor and instilled in Bolivar the ideas of liberty, enlightenment, and freedom. When Bolivar was 14, Rodríguez had to leave the country and Bolivar joined a military academy. When he was 16, Bolívar was sent to Europe to complete his education.

He lived in Spain and married the daughter of a Spanish nobleman in 1802. He then returned to Caracas with his young bride, who died less than a year later from Yellow fever. He then travelled across Europe for a few years, even meeting Napoleon Bonaparte whose success at the time impressed Bolivar.

On his return to Caracas, he found a region that had started to embrace the idea of independence from colonial rule. In 1810, he joined a group of patriots that temporarily seized Caracas and proclaimed independence from Spain.

In 1813, he was given command of a patriot army and he began a successful military campaign – recapturing Caracas from the Spaniards. He was soon forced to retreat to New Granada (now Colombia), which was also at war with Spain. Taking command of a Colombian army he captured Bogota in 1814. The struggle for Colombia (now Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela) continued until 1819. After the military victory, he led the congress that organised the original republic of Colombia and Bolivar became its first president on December 17th 1819.

Lieutenant José Quiñones Gonzales was a Peruvian pilot during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. On July 23rd 1941, his plane, a North American NA-50 fighter, was hit while performing a low-level attack on an Ecuadorian border post on the banks of the Zarumilla River.

According to Peruvian accounts, instead of parachuting to safety, Quiñones chose to make the supreme sacrifice by crashing his damaged aircraft onto the Ecuadorian position, rendering the battery out of action. 

Quiñones was promoted posthumously to the rank of Air Force Captain and was declared a national hero by law on May 10th 1966.

Many Jews worldwide observe the religious holiday of Tisha B’Av by fasting, praying and reading Bible passages related to the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.

Religious Jews have kept Tisha B’Av for centuries as a day of communal mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans under Titus, who burned it down in 70 AD.

For Jews, the ninth day of the month of Av also commemorates multiple tragedies in Jewish history, ranging from God decreeing that the Israelites would wander in the desert for 40 years to Jews being expelled by decree from England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492. 

The Orthodox Jewish organization Chabad ranks Tisha B’Av as “the saddest day on the Jewish calendar,” even more sombre than Yom Kippur.

The Fast of Av begins at sunset the previous day and lasts for more than 24 hours.

Jewish law demands that during the three weeks preceding the day, Jews limit rejoicing: no weddings, no haircuts, no listening to music and swimming is prohibited. In the last nine days of the three weeks, no one is allowed to eat meat or drink wine except on Shabbat, or even wash clothes.

In a list of most popular reasons for public holidays, celebrating the birthday of a ruler or the date when a country threw off the shackles of colonial rule are probably the most popular. Not far down the list is commemorating a battle or war that was crucial to the heritage and history of a nation. This is the case with Guam’s Liberation Day which commemorates the Battle of Guam in 1944 which returned the island to U.S. control.

Guam is the southernmost and largest of the Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It became a U.S. territory in December 1898 after the Spanish-American War. The U.S. sold the other Marianas Islands to Germany.

In December 1941, Japan entered the second world war when it launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. With the intention to dominate the Pacific theatre, Japan invaded Guam a few days after the Pearl Harbour attack. This first Battle of Gaum lasted two days before the U.S. troops were overwhelmed by the Japanese.

Japan’s early advances in the war began to wane as the U.S. Pacific Fleet retaliated with a major victory at the Battle of Midway coming in June 1942.

It would two long years of hard-fought victories before the U.S. launched its assault to liberate Guam on July 21st 1944. The Second Battle of Guam raged until August 10th, with the Japanese troops fighting to the last man.

We said “last man”, but some Japanese soliders held out in the jungle and fought until December 1944, and famously one of the Japanese soldiers was discovered on the island in January 1972, having escaped the fighting and living in a cave for 28 years.

After the battle, Guam became an important base for the allied operations that would eventually end the war in 1945.

The Spanish first arrived in Colombia in 1499, founding the first permanent settlement in 1510. Under the reign of King Charles III (reigned 1759-1788), resentment in the colonies was growing as the Spanish insisted that the colonies could only trade with Spain, limiting their growth and also as the Spanish support for the Americans in the US war of independence increased taxation. This had led to small, ineffective rebellions.

Following the Napoleonic Wars and the turmoil in Europe, Criollos (natives born from Spanish descent) who wanted independence seized their chance.

Nicaragua is the largest of the republics in Central America. 

In 1936, Anastasio Somoza García, the head of Nicaragua’s army deposed the elected President, Juan Bautista Sacasa (who was also Somoza’s uncle), and installed himself as President. 

This effectively established a hereditary dictatorship in the country for over 45 years, with two of Somoza’s sons serving as president after Somoza had been assassinated in 1956. 

Backed by the US because of their anti-communist stance, the administration brought some reforms to the country, though the Somozas exhibited the usual dictatorial traits of accumulating incredible personal wealth and exiling any potential opponents. 

Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the second of Somoza’s sons to be president was seen as particularly dictatorial and was accused of human rights violations. 

Not too far in the background of the Somoza rule was the Sandinista National Liberation Front. This was a socialist revolutionary group founded in 1962 and named after Augusto Sandino, a hero of the resistance to U.S. military occupation between 1927 and 1933. 

Since their creation, the Sandinistas had steadily built their support base amongst workers, students and peasants. In the 1970s, the political aims spilt over into military attacks on the Nicaraguan government. And although the Somozas retaliated, the revolution was gaining momentum, exploding into direct confrontations between the Sandinistas and the Nicaraguan army in 1978. 

After achieving enlightenment, Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park in Isipatana, India and founded the Buddhist sangha (monkhood) about 2,500 years ago.

In the sermon, which is known as ‘Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion’, the Buddha first spelt out the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

In His First Sermon, the Buddha said, “I teach one thing and one thing only: suffering and the end of suffering,” which is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. The Buddha presented and explained this very doctrine in his major discourses. In this First Sermon at Deer Park, He taught the Four Noble Truths: the existence of suffering, the cause of suffering, that the cause of suffering can end, and the path to the end of suffering.

“Avoiding extremes, the Buddha has realised the Middle Path: It gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nirvana. And what is that Middle Path? It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely, right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the Middle Path realised by the Buddha, which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, and to Nirvana.”

Following the end of World War II and liberation from Japanese Rule, Korea was split in two by the occupation of Allied and Soviet forces.

In April 1948 a democratic election for National Assembly members was held in Allied-controlled South Korea. The elected assembly members then created a constitution, based on a presidential and unicameral system.

This constitution was formally adopted by President Syngman Rhee on July 17th 1948

On August 15th 1948, the Republic of Korea was established, with Syngman Rhee as the first president. On September 9th 1948, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was established under Kim Il-sung.

Bolivia gained its independence on August 6th 1825, an event celebrated each year on the country’s national day. The journey to independence didn’t happen overnight. Sixteen years earlier, Bolivia was the location of the first stirrings of nationalism in Latin America. In May 1809, the ‘Primer grito libertario’ (first shout of freedom) took place in Sucre. Shortly afterwards, the flame of insurrection was lit in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.

On July 16th 1809 the Bolivian patriot Pedro Domingo Murillo led an uprising led a revolt of mestizos, or those of mixed European and South American heritage, against the Spanish authorities in La Paz. Murillo declared Upper Peru (modern-day Bolivia) to be an independent state, beginning the Bolivian War of Independence.

To commemorate the momentous events of 1809, July 16th is now a municipal holiday in La Paz, and the day is celebrated with parades, concerts, fireworks, and dancing.

La Paz is the second-highest city in the world and was the first South American city to have an electricity supply. It was powered by llama dung.

July 16th is also Our Lady of Carmel, honouring the Virgin Mary. Mary is the Patroness of Bolivia and the Armed Forces of the Nation, and of La Paz. In fact, the official name of the city is Nuestra Señora de La Paz (‘Our lady of peace’).

Palermo is located on the northern coast of Sicily and is the capital of the autonomous region of Sicily.

Rosalia was a devout Christian hermit who lived in a cave on Mount Pellegrino, a few miles north of Palermo. Rosalia died in the cave in 1166 and although she was revered during her life for her piety and had been associated with some miracles, Rosalia wasn’t in line for sainthood… yet.

Our story now rolls forward almost 500 years to 1624. While Sicily was being ravaged by a recurrence of the Plague (Black Death), a Palermo soap seller had a dream. In the dream, Rosalia told him to bring her bones to the city and parade them around the streets. Her remains were found buried in her cave, brought back to Palermo and carried around the city three times, freeing Palermo from the Plague.

In honour of the miracle of saving the city, Urban VIII added Saint Rosalia’s name to the Roman Martyrology on July 15th 1625,  and this is the date celebrated in Palermo, even though her actual feast day is September 4th. St. Rosalia then became the patron saint of Palermo, replacing Saints Agatha, Christina, Nympha and Olivia, who had been patron saints for different parts of the city.

All of this has led to the famous annual Festino in Palermo, the most important festival of the year in Palermo and a truly unique spectacle. On the evening of July 14th, a statue of Rosalia (known as Santuzza, the “Little Saint”) is paraded through the main streets of Palermo on a massive and elaborate boat-shaped chariot, that is made each year. Pulled by oxen, the chariot is joined by colourful dancers, with cries of “Viva Palermo and Santa Rosalia” (long live Palermo and Santa Rosalia) from the crowd driving the procession on from the old town to the marina, where a large fireworks display takes place.

On July 15th, Saint Rosalia’s relics are paraded around Palermo before returning to their resting place in the Cathedral, where they are blessed by the Archbishop of Palermo.

Tuesday 14 July Bastille Day in France

After years of misrule by the Monarchy with increasing taxes and higher food prices, the French people had finally united in a popular uprising in an effort to take control of their own country.

On July 14th 1789, the people of Paris banded together to march on the Bastille. The Bastille was a 14th-century medieval fortress that became a state prison. It was used by the King to imprison his opponents, often without trial and was seen as representing the despotism of the regime of Louis the 16th.

When Louis XVI asked a French duke if the storming of Bastille was a revolt on the evening of July 14th 1789, the duke replied by saying, “No, sire. It is a revolution.”

The duke was correct as the storming of the prison marked the beginning of the French Revolution and came to symbolize liberty, democracy and the struggle against oppression for all the people of France.

In October, Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette were taken from the Palace of Versailles by 4,000 rioters and put under house arrest at the Tuileries Palace, in the centre of Paris.

After a failed attempt to flee to Austria in 1791, tensions about how to punish the King continued, culminating in the storming of the Tuileries by a new mob and the arrest of Louis XVI in 1792.

France was finally declared a Republic in September that year, ending the 800-year-old monarchy, and in January the following year, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on the grounds of treason.

In the months that followed, thousands of people considered enemies of the new Republic were executed in a “Reign of Terror” – including Marie Antoinette.

On the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bastille, July 14th 1790, delegates from across the country assembled in Paris to proclaim their allegiance as one national community at the Fête de la Fédération.

In May 1880, a Parisian politician called Benjamin Raspail proposed making July 14th a national holiday to commemorate the storming of the Bastille and the Fête de la Fédération. The French Assembly passed his bill and from 1880, it has been a national holiday in France.

In the 16th century, Montenegro emerged as a semi-autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire. A series of rebellions against Turkish control resulted in Montenegro gaining its independence on July 13th 1878 under the Treaty of Berlin.

Montenegro thus became the 27th independent state in the world, and a principality ruled by Nicholas I. It became a kingdom in 1910, before unifying with Serbia in 1918. It subsequently formed part of Yugoslavia and only regained full independence in 2006.

The date of July 13th has added significance in Montenegro as it was on this day in 1941 that the people of Montenegro began their uprising against the Nazi German occupation during the second world war.

Despite this date marking Montenegro’s first independence, it is not Independence Day, which is instead celebrated on May 21st and marks the result of the 2006 referendum for independence from Serbia.

The first people to inhabit these two islands in the Gulf of Guinea were the Portuguese. They first landed on São Tomé, the larger of the two islands on December 21st (Saint Thomas’ Day, hence the name) 1471.

They found the islands’ rich volcanic soil a good basis to support sugar plantations. The plantations were manned by African slaves and ‘undesirables’ from Portugal.

In 1974, the so-called Carnation Revolution in Portugal ended the dictatorial regime and a new approach to its overseas territories.

São Tomé and Príncipe gained its independence from Portugal on July 12th 1975, making it the second-smallest country in Africa. The smallest is another island nation on the other side of the continent – Seychelles.

During the Naadam Festival, Mongolians participate in the “Three Manly Games” of archery, wrestling and horseback riding which represent the heritage of the nation. 

The festival originated in the 12th century as a way for Mongolians to demonstrate their military prowess. From the 17th century, Naadam contests were held during religious holidays. Since 1922, they have been held on Revolution Day, the anniversary of the People’s Revolution. 

The coldest capital in the world is not in Russia or Canada, but is Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The annual average temperature in the city is -1.3°C.

The main Naadam festival takes place in the country’s capital Ulaanbaatar and opens with a cultural performance with ethnic dancing and music before the games get underway. Everyone, young and old are encouraged to participate in the games. 

Wrestling is usually the first sport. The main wrestling event is a knockout competition involving 512 or 1,024 participants. The participants are all men and have to enter the ring bare-chested as legend has it that a woman once infiltrated the games beating the men, so now all the wrestlers have to show they are male before the grappling begins.

Unlike international wrestling events, there are no weight classes and the rules are also simpler – if a wrestler touches the ground with any part of their body apart from their feet and arms, they lose.

The second sport is Archery. From the time of Ghengis Khan, Mongolian archers were famed for their skill and precision with a bow. At its time, the recurved Mongol bow was a weapon without compare on the Eurasian battlefields of the steppe and deep into Western Europe. The games consist of three categories of archery – Buriat, Khakh and Uriankhai – which have differing bows, arrows and distances.