ALL
traditional game
ICH Elements 91
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Traditional wrestling - ‘Kurosh’
Kyrgyz wresting ‘Kurosh’ is one of the most ancient types of wrestling of the Kyrgyz people. Athletes wear belts and white loose pants without a shirt on. Wrestlers stand one in front of another and hold each other by the belt with both hands. A wrestler must have at least one hand on the belt of his opponent during the match. One cannot grab opponent’s legs with hands but foot sweeps are allowed. The one whose thigh, body or head touches the ground first loses. If athletes fall simultaneously and it is unclear who touched the ground first – the match starts over.
Kyrgyzstan -
Folk knowledge and method of upbringing and educating children
The one and main principle for upbringing and educating children and youth is to direct them to have respect towards their elders and to follow and venerate their teachings. It is accustomed to employ the combination of variety folk upbringing and educating methods such as approving and supporting, encouraging and praising, disapproving and prohibiting, reproving and criticizing, serving as an example and causing to follow. Folk aphorisms, proverbs, folk oral literature, traditional games and toys are commonly used as well. Mongol herders have been educating and nurturing their children and youths from very young age by engaging in the labor activities which appropriate to their age, and working together with their parents and siblings; playing traditional games, engaging with nature and to make a disciple of well-educated person.
Mongolia -
Ethnosport
Ethnosport is a form of preserving the gaming heritage and is a system for restoring ethno-motor skills lost in urbanization. It is aimed at solving the problems of encouraging and developing traditional types of physical activity that form the basis of traditional games. Ethnosport activities form motor skills that only those who lead a traditional lifestyle possess. Based on this main position, ethnosport can be defined as an institutional form of a single socio-cultural space for organizations involved in the development of traditional types of physical activity. Types of ethnosport are formed according to ethnicity - for example, Russian ethnosport, Uzbek ethnosport, French ethnosport, etc. They represent the entire set of games and motorical activities that exist in a particular ethno-cultural environment. The certain types of traditional competitions is also could be named as ethnosport.
Uzbekistan -
Traditional horse game – ‘Kyz kuumay’
‘It is one of the most widespread horseback games played at various feasts and festivities. Kyz kuumai is translated as chasing a girl. ‘Kyz kuumay’ was a wedding tradition in the past, in which a groom on a horse had to pursue and catch a racing bride. The game involves several couples in national costumes, which are well acquainted with rules of the game and have perfect horse riding skills. The bride was provided with the best horse; she started the race first. The groom had to catch his bride, thus proving his love and reaffirming his right to marry her. The groom has to catch up with the bride and kiss her or to touch her with his headwear, thus declaring his victory. In case of a failure, the girl chases the young man, striking his back with a whip. Due to the worse horse, the groom often failed to capture the girl. However, this was not a reason for the bride to refuse to marry.
Kyrgyzstan -
Malaysia’s Traditional Game: Wau
Wau or ‘kite’ is believed to be invented by somebody with the name Sang Jaya or who had a title such as Dewa Muda, Dewa Hindu and Masai Kelana Seri Panji. Wau was produced between 711 and 839 AD. Originally the wau was invented as a symbol of a country’s greatness, as a guide for determining direction and also as a symbol of success for every attack by a country towards another country. This game is famous in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kelantan and Terengganu. Among the types of wau produced are ‘wau bulan’ (‘moon kite’), ‘wau burung’ (‘bird kite’), ‘wau merak’ (‘peacock kite’), ‘wau kucing’ (‘cat kite’) and ‘wau ikan’ (fish kite). Tools for making wau are bamboo, knife, paper, pencil, scissors, glue and rope. The making of wau is very unique compared to other games because it requires a high-level of skill. Before flown wau needs to be ascertained to be balanced so that it is not heavy on one side. Wind factor plays an important role when flying a wau.
Malaysia -
Nomad games, rediscovering heritage, celebrating diversity
The World Nomad Games are the biggest international project held in the Kyrgyz Republic, a project initiated by the government in 2012 for the revival and preservation of the culture of nomadic civilization. The mission of the World Nomad Games covers the revival, development and preservation of the ethnosport and ethnoculture movement in the world, diversity and originality of the people of the world in order to foster a more tolerant and open relationship between people. The World Nomad Games consist of three main parts: •\tEthnoculture •\tEthnosport •\tScience The First World Nomad Games were held in Kyrgyzstan in 2014. 583 athletes from 19 countries participated in competitions held in 10 types of sports, plus an additional 1,200 participants in the cultural program. The Second World Nomad Games were held in Kyrgyzstan in 2016. 1,200 athletes from 62 countries participated in competitions in 26 types of ethnosports. The Third World Nomad Games were held in Kyrgyzstan in 2018. 1,500 athletes from 66 countries participated in competitions in 37 types of ethnosports.
Kyrgyzstan 2021 -
Malaysia’s Traditional Game: Lansaran
Lansaran originated from the Murut ethnic word ‘lumasar’ means 'tossed' or 'swinging'. This tradition is an ancestral heritage of the Muruts in the districts of Tenom and Keningau, Sabah. Previously, this tradition was closely related to appeasing or worshiping the spirit of the skull, specifically the worshiping of the spirit of the human head obtained during ngayau or wartime. Now, this game is played in gatherings such as weddings or moving to a new longhouse. The lansaran place measures eight to 30 square feet and can accommodate approximately 30 players is built by mutual cooperation in a space in a longhouse. Several hard round tree branches as big as an adult’s arm are tied with rattan to accommodate the place for this game that is built suspended a foot below the house floor level. The game play is that a player goes down to the lansaran surface and then feels his body is 'tossed' by itself due to the up and down tossing effect movement of the lansaran. Sometimes a prize is placed at the top level of the lansaran and a player tries to 'toss himself' to get the prize.
Malaysia -
Dembee, a finger guessing game with singing
Dembee is a form of entertainment closely associated with the airag (mare’s fermented milk) culture of nomadic Mongols. Dembee is a type of a game to guess the total number of fingers of two people through its own established phrase of verses, rhyming and distinct melody. The tradition of dembeedekh is an example of how deeply the music is involved in the livelihood of Mongols.
Mongolia -
Yên Thế Festival
At its inception, this festival takes place on the 5th of first lunar month in commemoration of Hoàng Hoa Thám, also known as Đề Thám (Commander Thám), the farmer leader in the Yên Thế uprising against the French colonists. Since 1984, the festival has taken place in the third week of March. Main ceremonies of the festival include the palanquin procession ritual by Phồn Xương and Cầu Gỗ villages. An important ritual is the requiem of lost insurgent soldiers with traditional offerings. There are also strict rules on costumes for those who participate in the rituals. A flag salute ceremonies is re-enacted as it was conducted by the insurgent army in the past. Today, in order to make the festival more joyful, villagers incorporate a horse procession ritual and an exchange performance “Young men from Cầu Vồng and Yên Thế villages meet with young ladies from Nội Duệ and Cầu Lim”. Entertainment activities of the festival include such folk performances as martial art performance, gun shooting and archery contests, wrestling and quiz game about the Yên Thế Uprising.
Viet Nam -
Dikir Barat
Dikir Barat is a new traditional arts form if compared to others of the same genre, as well as most liked amongst the normal Malay communities in villages and city fringes in Kelantan. In that state it is more popular with the name ‘Dikir Barat’ while in Southern Thailand it is called ‘Dikir Karut’. This arts form has been listed as a National Heritage in the year 2009. The word ‘dikir’ is a product of the combination of two arts that are ‘dikir’ (loosely translated as ‘song’) and ‘pantun’ (‘quatrain’), or ‘dikir’ and ‘karut’ (loosely translated as ‘story’). The word ‘karut’ is from the terminology ‘to tell stories in the form of quatrain or poem’. Thus, the names Dikir Barat, Dikir Karut, Dikir Pantun and Dikir Syair have the same meaning. There are those who opinied that Dikir Barat originated from southern Thailand with the name Dikir Karut. There are those who said that it was the product of the arrangement made by Haji Mat Salleh bin Haji Ahmad (known as Pak Leh Tapang) who improvised this arts form by adding quatrains in it. There are others who mentioned that it originated from Tebu Island, Kelantan. This arts form is normally practiced during paddy harvesting season and wedding ceremonies as entertainment or competition. The content revolves around current issues and lives of universal societies. The performance of a Dikir Barat group is headed by a Tukang Karut (‘The Storyteller’) and Tok Juara (‘The Champion’). They tell ‘stories’ by exchanging quatrains, reciprocated by loud and clear background voices of the Awak-Awak (group members) who don’t need to clap hands, just sufficient to place their palms on their respective cheeks to louden their voices. In a competition normally there are two group participants at a time and using the Kelantanese dialect. They exchange quatrains, insinuating, as if in jester and for entertainment only. At the end of the performance a group’s Storyteller delivers a sad song and requests for forgiveness at the thought of the fate of the Storyteller. At its early development a Dikir Barat performance only used audiphone equipment that were bamboo pieces, knocked to produced the rythmic beat of this arts form. Nowadays, it uses an ensemble of a gong, two small hand-held drums and a pair of maracas, cymbals and small bells. In yesteryears this arts form was a past time game and normally held in a bamboo hut with wooden floor and coconut leaves roof top. However, now Dikir Barat is well-known all over the country and can be seen on TV screen. Its development is also difficult to contain as it often receives changes, like its performance form, according to the era.
Malaysia -
Traditional Korean wrestling (Ssirum/Ssireum)
Inscribed in 2018 (13.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity As one of the popular Korean folk tradtion, ssireum is a type of wrestling in which two players wearing long fabric belts around their waists and one thigh grip their opponents' belt and employ various techniques to send the opponent to the ground. It is played on diverse occasions, including traditional holidays, market days, and festivals. Ssireum games occur on sand in any available space around a neighborhood, and are open to participation by community members of all ages, from children to seniors. The winner in the final game for adults is awarded an ox, which symbolises agricultural abundance, and the title of Jangsa. When the games are over, the Jangsa parades around the neighborhood riding the ox in celebration. The customary practice of providing an ox as a prize is meant to allow the winner to farm more effectively.
South Korea 2018 -
The tradition of long-term group hunting 'Salbuurun’
‘Salbuurun’ is a complex hunting game with golden eagles, ‘taigan’ dogs (the Kyrgyz breed of greyhounds) and bow. In the modern salbuurun, golden eagles participate in two exercises: ‘chyrga’ and ‘ondok’. In the first exercise, each berkutchi (eagle master) lets his eagle flying towards moulage, which is entailed by a galloping rider. The eagle has to reach and grasp it. Here, time and speed of the golden eagle are estimated. The golden eagle is seated at a distance of 200 meters in ‘ondok’ exercise. At the judge’s signal, the hunter holloes his eagle holding bait in his hands. Here, the arrival time of the eagle to his owner’s hand is estimated. ‘Taigan zharysh’ is a race organized for the greyhounds. Dog’s agility is determined by the speed of its run at a distance of 350 meters. Dogs chase the moulages that is entailed by the horse rider. ‘Zhaa atuu’ is shooting with a traditional bow (archery).
Kyrgyzstan