ULAN BATOR, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia on Wednesday celebrated its National Pride Day or the anniversary of the birth of legendary conqueror Genghis Khan.
Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga, Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Parliament Speaker Gombojav Zandanshatar, and other members of the parliament and government ministers paid their respects to the statue of Genghis Khan in front of the government palace in the capital Ulan Bator.
The celebrations also included traditional wrestling, a gala concert and an exhibition on Mongolian history and cultural heritage.
Battulga conferred the Order of Genghis Khan, the country's highest state award, to Mongolian rock band The Hu for promoting Mongolian culture around the world.
The Hu was formed in 2016 and it blends heavy metal with traditional Mongolian throat singing.
Its first two videos "Wolf Totem" and "Yuve Yuve Yu" have garnered over 45 million views on YouTube over the last year, and its debut album, The Gereg, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top New Artist chart in September.
The Asian country began celebrating the birthday of Genghis Khan as an official public holiday in 2012.
Genghis Khan (1162-1227) founded the Mongol Empire in the 13th century by uniting individual tribes in northeast Asia.
His birth anniversary falls on the first day of the first winter month in the lunar calendar.
