When I was growing up in a northern state of Malaysia, life was full of joy. Play, play and play. No pressures and stress. Being kids were full of creative and innovative games albeit incomplete awareness or understanding the full meanings of almost all the things around us. Here, I will introduce you to some of the famous or rather popular games that I used to play or watch other people especially girls play.
Gasing
Wau
Toi / galah panjang
Kaki panjang / kaki galah
Tarik upih pinang
Sepak raga / Takraw
Guli (marbles)
Dam Aji
Terebe / Lastik
Polis sentri
In this game, we need a few people to be divided into two groups i.e. the police and bad people. The police group will catch all the bad people and put them in jail while the bad people have chances to release their jailed members by entering into a circle where their members were placed and guarded by a few police members.
The game lasted until all members of bad people were catched and jailed or until they became tired when the game did not end. :)
Dato harimau
This game is where a few people stand and follow behind a person called Dato harimau. Dato harimau will catch the followers after he counted the clock time. The next person catched will then become a new Dato harimau and the game follows on and on.
Baling tin
This is when a bunch of kids arrange a few tins in triangle one on top of the other. They are divided into two teams. One team takes the role as keepers of the tins and the other is the destroyer. The game starts with the destroyer member throws a ball from a reasonable distance determined by both teams. When the throws hit all the tins, the keepers will catch the small ball and try to hit all the destroyer team members until finished. If the destroyer team managed to arrange all the tins into a triangle again, the destroyer team wins and they have the chance to throw the ball or destroy the tins again and again. If the keeper team managed to hit all the destroyer team members before the tins were rearranged, then the keeper team wins the game and take turn as a destroyer team. The game continues and finish once all members were tired or the sun begins to set.
Baling kasut
This game is similar to baling tin except that instead of tins, the players use a few shoes and arranged them into a cone position.
Culik kayu
Sorok-sorok (Hide and seek)
Lari dalam guni (sack race)
Kasut tempurung kelapa
Biji getah
Congkak
Batu tujuh / Batu seremban
Lompat getah
Baling rumah
Those are only some of the traditional games that I remember now. I will update more later when I can recall more games. Have fun and don't worry about anything. Play, play and play.
-yours-
