Kongar-ol Ondar to Ride In Rose Bowl Parade

On January 1, 1993, three Tuvan horsemen and musicians rode down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as part of the Rose Parade. Kongar-ool Ondar, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, and Anatoly Kuular were accompanied by their friend and translator Rada Chakar at a time when Tuvan culture was almost completely unknown in North America, outside of a few persistent fanatics.

Since that time, Tuvan culture has become part of western pop culture, appearing everywhere from Hollywood movies (Geronimo), late night TV talk shows (David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Chevy Chase) and TV situation comedies (Big Bang Theory).  Tuvan musicians have toured the world countless times and have recorded with musicians too numerous to mention, notably including Bela Fleck and the Flecktones as well as Frank Zappa, after meeting him on their trip to Pasadena for the Rose Parade.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of that epic journey from Tuva to California, the Rose Parade organization has invited Kongar-ol Ondar to ride in the Parade this January 1, with two wrestlers accompanying him on foot.

If you can't watch the parade in person, you can always try to catch it on TV!

You can help support Ondar's visit (which is funded entirely through personal donations) by making a donation yourself!

Ondar has established a relationship with Creative Visions Foundation that allows him to accept charitable donations to support his artistic endeavors in the USA.  Creative Visions Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)3, which supports Creative Activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world.  All donations are tax deductible.