Wikipedia

Traditional games of Afghanistan

The nation of Afghanistan has various traditional games and sports.

Traditional games

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Archery

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Archery has been a popular game among the various ethnic groups of Afghanistan.[1][2][3]

Barfi

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This game is played during the time of year when the first snow falls. One person sends a messenger to another person's home, and if the recipient of the message fails to catch the messenger before the messenger can return home, then the recipient must pay for a large meal for the sender of the message; otherwise, the message-sender pays.[4][5][6]

Bujal bazi

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Further information: Shagai

Bujal bazi, known as Bejali in some parts of the country, is a game played by children with sheep knucklebones.[7]

Gudiparan bazi

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Young man flying a kite

Gudiparan bazi in Dari or kaghazbad in Pashto are some of the local names for kite fighting and kite running in Afghanistan.[8][9] It has been going on in the country for over 100 years.[10]

Khusai

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In the game of khusai (pronounced as ghorsai in Persian), two teams attempt to pass each other to the other team's goal line, while preventing the other team from doing the same.[6] The game requires hopping on one foot in order to knock opponents down.[11][12]

Sangi rag

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Further information: Stone put

Two teams of four to five players compete by throwing stones at a target; each player gets 10 throws, and the player that throws the closest to the target in a given round wins that round. Hitting the target directly earns twice as many points. The team that reaches 10 points first wins.[13]

Tokhm-jangi

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Further information: Egg tapping

During certain public holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, participants in this game paint hard-boiled eggs and then bump them against other participants' eggs in order to break the other eggs.[14][15][16][17]

Board games

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Carrom

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The game of carrom is played in many Afghan homes, including in public parks.[18]

Chaka

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Chaka is the local name for Ludo board game in Afghanistan.

Satranj

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Satranj is the local name for chess in Afghanistan.[19]

Wrestling

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Koresh

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Koresh, also known as chepanki wrestling, is a form of belt wrestling.[20][21]

Pahlawani

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Pahlawani is a form of wrestling contested over four rounds, in which each round is won by the participant who can flip their opponent onto their back.[22][7]

Animal events

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Buzkashi

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This section is an excerpt from Buzkashi.[edit]

Buzkashi (Persian: بزکشی, lit. 'goat pulling') is the national sport of Afghanistan. It is a traditional sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat carcass in a goal. Similar games are known as kokpar, kupkari, and ulak tartysh in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

 
Game of buzkashi in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan

Tent pegging

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This section is an excerpt from Tent pegging.[edit]
Tent pegging (sometimes spelled tent-pegging or tentpegging) is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Equestrian Federation. Used narrowly, the term refers to a specific mounted game with ground targets. More broadly, it refers to the entire class of mounted cavalry games involving pointed and edged weapons (lance and sword) on horseback, for which the term "equestrian skill-at-arms" is also used.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rider, Jonathan (7 December 2022). "A Long Shot in the Hindu Kush: Archery in Nuristan". Royal Society for Asian Affairs. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  2. ^ "Game of Archery Targets Discrimination". TOLOnews. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  3. ^ Archery in Afghanistan on YouTube
  4. ^ "You've Been Barfied! Kabul Celebrates First Snowfall of Year". NBC News. December 31, 2013. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  5. ^ Qazi, Abdullah (January 20, 2016). "Barfee". www.afghan-web.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  6. ^ a b Dupree, Louis (2014-07-14). Afghanistan. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-5891-0.
  7. ^ a b Elias, Josie; Enayat Ali, Sharifah (2013-08-01). Afghanistan. Cavendish Square Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-6087-0872-7.
  8. ^ "Once Again Afghans Take to the Skies". Voice of America. October 31, 2009. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  9. ^ Qazi, Abdullah (January 20, 2016). "Gudiparaan baazi". www.afghan-web.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  10. ^ Kite Flying in Afghanistan (Short Documentary) on YouTube (Anna Magill, Mar. 28, 2022)
  11. ^ "League of Traditional Sport Ghorsai to Air on TOLO, LEMAR TV". TOLOnews. July 5, 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  12. ^ "Man in the News: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar". Financial Times. February 20, 2020. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  13. ^ "How reviving a game from childhood is helping these Afghan men". ABC News. Australia. February 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  14. ^ "Happy Eid! And ten stories of celebrations and customs from all over the country". Afghanistan Analysts Network. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  15. ^ Team, T. M. V. (2023-04-22). "10 Beautiful Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations From Around the World". Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  16. ^ "Celebrating Eid al-Fitr around the world". islamchannel.tv. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  17. ^ System (June 30, 2016). "How countries around the world celebrate Eid". News24. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  18. ^ نمای پارک شهر نو بعد از بازسازی چیگونه خواهد بود؟ on YouTube (Aug. 10, 2023) (@ 11:30)
  19. ^ Qazi, Abdullah (January 20, 2016). "Chess". www.afghan-web.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  20. ^ "Koresh, other traditional games begin in Kunduz". Pajhwok Afghan News. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  21. ^ "Traditional Wrestling Competition Held in Samangan". TOLOnews. February 23, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  22. ^ "Traditional wrestling continues as a Friday fixture in Kabul". AP News. December 4, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
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