From goat dragging to folk songs: a Kyrgyzstan festival

Kyrgyz men compete in the Oodarysh horse fight
Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Women dressed in traditional costumes Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Kyrgyz children playing as they attend the festival with their families Photograph: Igor Kovalenko/EPA

Horsemen take part in a Kok-boru, or goat dragging, competition. Considered Kyrgyzstan's national sport, Kok-boru is a traditional Central Asian game where players grab a goat carcass from the ground while riding their horses and try to score by placing it in their opponent's goal Photograph: Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters

Kyrgyz riders jostle playing Kok-boru Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

A Kyrgyz rider performs with fire Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

A Kyrgyz woman attends a festival event with a child Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva watches the festivities through binoculars Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Horsemen perform during a festival near the Son-Kul lake Photograph: Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters

Participants of a Kyrgyz traditional culture festival preparing traditional dinner on the banks of mountain lake Son-Kul Photograph: Igor Kovalenko/EPA

Kyrgyz people play music and dance Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images

Women cook during the festival Photograph: Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters

Women dressed in traditional attire sing during the festival of Kyrgyz folklore and popular traditions Photograph: Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters

Kyrgyz men ride horses during the festival Photograph: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images