Games, sport and play
Traditional sport, children's games, martial arts and contests.
Games, sport and play include the traditional contests, children's games and martial arts that communities have played for centuries: kabaddi in India, sumo in Japan, buzkashi in Afghanistan, mancala across Africa, hopscotch and marbles everywhere. Some are tied to festivals, such as Naadam in Mongolia or Highland games in Scotland, while others are simple pastimes of the street and the playground. They teach skill, courage and fair play, and some, such as martial arts, carry a philosophy. EveryParampara follows them by country and occasion.
Contests with a festival
Many traditional sports belong to a festival day: horse racing and wrestling at Naadam, bull leaping in Minoan Crete, the cheese roll at Cooper's Hill, kite fighting on Makar Sankranti, dragon boat racing at Duanwu. They bring the whole community out to watch, and winners are celebrated, though taking part counts for as much as winning. Some have become international sports, while others stay local and are preserved by clubs and enthusiasts.
Children and play
Children's games pass from one generation to the next without any written rules, with rhymes, counting-out songs and skipping games that appear, with variations, around the world. Board games such as chess, go, pachisi and mancala are among the oldest known. Playing them is a way to learn a culture's patterns of thinking, and many are now played online as well as on the street. They are among the most democratic of traditions, requiring few tools.
About this page
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Games, sport and play (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇩 Bali, Indonesia and 3 morePencak silat
Indonesia's many schools of full-body fighting, with strikes, locks, throws and bladesGame
🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United States and 2 moreWorld Eskimo-Indian Olympics
An annual Arctic gathering of traditional survival games, athletics, and cultural artsGame
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreKyūdō弓道
The Japanese martial art of archery, practiced with an asymmetrical longbowGame
🇵🇭 Cebu, PhilippinesArnis
The national martial art of the Philippines using sticks, bladed weapons and open handsGame
🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesSuper Bowl
The annual championship game of American professional football, held every February.Game
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan and 1 moreKyz kuu
A horse racing game where a man chases a woman to win a kiss or faces her whip if he fails.Game
🇮🇩 IndonesiaPasola
A ritual horseback spear contest in western Sumba marking the rice-planting seasonGame
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCuju蹴鞠
An ancient Chinese kicking game played without hands using a stuffed or air-filled ballGame
🇸🇪 Mora, SwedenVasaloppet
A 90 km cross-country ski race from Sälen to Mora, run every March since 1922Game
🇵🇬 Trobriand Islands, Papua New GuineaTrobriand cricket
Cricket as played in the Trobriand Islands, with chants, dances and a feastGame
🇺🇸 United StatesNalukataq
A spring whaling festival of the Iñupiat in Northern Alaska, featuring a blanket toss and communal feast.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreApple bobbing
A Halloween game where players try to catch floating apples with their teeth.Game
🇮🇳 Amritsar, India and 1 moreGatkaਗੱਤਕਾ (Gurmukhi) / گَتّکا (Shahmukhi)
A Sikh martial art of stick-fighting and sword dance from the Punjab region.Performance
🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 2 moreMongolian wrestlingBökh
A traditional folk wrestling style of the Mongols, kept as a central part of Naadam festivals across Mongolia and neighbGame
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilCapoeira
An Afro-Brazilian martial art and musical game played inside a circleGame
🇮🇳 IndiaKambala
An annual traditional buffalo race across muddy paddy fields in southwestern IndiaGame
🇦🇺 Sydney, Australia and 5 moreSurf lifesaving
A volunteer beach rescue and ocean sports tradition originating on Australian coasts.Game
🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanKendo剣道
A Japanese martial art of swordsmanship using bamboo swords and protective armourGame
🇪🇸 Ronda, Spain and 5 moreBullfightingCorrida de toros
A ritual contest between a bullfighter and a bull, kept in Spain and Latin AmericaGame
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCharro traditionCharro
The equestrian skills, formal attire and rodeo arts of the Mexican horseman.Game
🇨🇱 Rancagua, Chile and 1 moreChilean rodeo
A Chilean equestrian sport and weekend festival contested in a crescent-shaped arenaGame
🇬🇱 Greenland and 3 moreDog sledding
An Arctic tradition of navigating snow and ice behind working dog teamsCraft
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 morePub quiz
A weekly social trivia game played by teams at tables in pubs and barsGame
🇲🇳 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and 1 moreShagaiшагай
Traditional ankle bone games and fortune-telling played across Central Asia.Game
🇸🇳 Dakar, Senegal and 1 moreSenegalese wrestlingLaamb (Wolof), Njom (Serer)
A striking folk wrestling sport from Senegal that blends combat with oral poetry and music.Game
🇻🇪 Venezuela and 1 moreColeo
A Venezuelan and Colombian sport where riders chase cattle to snatch tails and pull them down.Game
🇬🇷 Olympia, Greece and 1 moreOlympic torch relay
The ceremonial journey of the flame from Olympia to each host city of the Olympic GamesCeremony
🇲🇳 Ölgii, Mongolia and 3 moreHunting with eagles
The Central Asian tradition of hunting foxes and hares from horseback with golden eagles.Game
🇯🇵 Ōmuta, JapanKarutaかるた
Japanese playing cards from the 16th century, still raced over poems each New YearGame
🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreBasque rural sportsHerri kirolak
Stone lifting, wood chopping and oxen tests, born of Basque farm and fishing workGame
🇰🇬 Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan and 2 moreWorld Nomad GamesДүйнөлүк көчмөндөр оюндары
A two-yearly contest of Central Asian nomadic sports, first staged in Kyrgyzstan in 2014Game
🇺🇸 Boise, United States and 3 moreBasque festivalEuskal jaiak
Gatherings of dance, sport and food that keep Basque culture alive far from homeFestival
🇲🇽 MexicoRarájipari
A traditional endurance running ball game of the Rarámuri people in northern MexicoGame
🇦🇺 Melbourne, AustraliaAustralian rules football
A fast, high-scoring code of football with 18 players a side, first played in MelbourneGame
🇲🇽 Veracruz, Mexico and 3 moreMesoamerican ballgameōllamalīztli
An ancient Mesoamerican ball game, struck with the hips on stone courtsGame
🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreDreidelדרײדל (Yiddish); סביבון (Hebrew)
A four-sided top spun for small stakes, most often by Jewish families at HanukkahGame
🇧🇹 Thimphu, BhutanArchery in Bhutanམདའ (da)
Bhutan's national sport, played with bamboo bows at targets 145 metres awayGame
🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreGreasy pole
A slippery pole climbed, walked or crossed to win a prize at the top or the far endGame
🇨🇭 Aproz, Switzerland and 2 moreCombat de Reines
An annual Swiss pushing contest where Hérens cows compete for herd dominanceGame
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchwingen
A traditional Swiss folk wrestling style fought in sawdust ringsGame
🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayHolmenkollen Ski FestivalHolmenkollen skifestival
An annual Nordic skiing festival at Holmenkollen in Oslo, held each March since 1892Game
🇪🇸 Pamplona, SpainFestival of San FermínSanfermines
An annual nine-day festival in Pamplona featuring bull runs, parades, and street music.Festival
🇬🇧 Dunoon, United Kingdom and 5 moreHighland gamesgeamannan Gàidhealach
A series of Scottish athletic and cultural competitions held in Scotland and across the diaspora.Festival
🇮🇷 Iran and 3 moreChovganچوگان
An equestrian team sport played with mallets and horses across Iran and AzerbaijanGame
🇮🇷 Iran and 3 morePahlevani and zurkhaneh ritualsآیین پهلوانی و زورخانهای
A traditional Iranian martial art blending calisthenics, wrestling, music and ethicsGame
🇨🇦 Calgary, CanadaCalgary StampedeStampede de Calgary
A ten-day July festival of rodeo, racing, and community breakfasts in Alberta.Festival · Breakfast
🇭🇷 Sinj, CroatiaSinjska Alka
An annual jousting tournament in Sinj where galloping riders strike a hanging ringGame
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreEgg rolling
A spring game of rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down hills or along lawnsGame
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- World Eskimo-Indian Olympics: Andrew Otto, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rarájipari: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Combat de Reines: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vasaloppet: Vasaloppet/Nisse Schmidt, CC BY 3.0, source
- World Nomad Games: Save the Dream, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mesoamerican ballgame: Daniel Lobo (Daquella manera), CC BY 2.0, source
- Pencak silat: Agus Triyanto, CC0, source
- Festival of San Fermín: SanchoPanzaXXI, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hunting with eagles: Franz Roubaud, Public domain, source
- Karuta: Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)., Public domain, source
- Chovgan: en:User:Arad, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Archery in Bhutan: muddum27, CC BY 2.0, source
- Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Egg rolling: White House/Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, source
- Sinjska Alka: L. Carević, CC0, source
- Highland games: marsupium photography, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Shagai: User:Yaan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pahlevani and zurkhaneh rituals: Hossein Khosravi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Olympic torch relay: DieselCat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Basque festival: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Australian rules football: Tom Reynolds, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dreidel: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Greasy pole: Andrepoiy, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holmenkollen Ski Festival: Ahhh25, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kambala: Sajith mv parappally, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pub quiz: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Capoeira: Augustus Earle, Public domain, source
- Kendo: Source: photo taken by Harald Hofer, CC BY-SA 2.0 at, source
- Surf lifesaving: User:Celcom, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Cuju: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Charro tradition: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Arnis: Carmen Novoa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kyūdō: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Super Bowl: John Tornow, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chilean rodeo: Marco Antonio Correa Flores, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Schwingen: Quejaytee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bullfighting: No machine-readable author provided. Manuel González Olaechea assumed, CC BY 3.0, source
- Nalukataq: Floyd Davidson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Coleo: Alorenz, Public domain, source
- Gatka: Simon Speed, Public domain, source
- Basque rural sports: Javier Mediavilla Ezquibela, CC BY 2.5, source
- Mongolian wrestling: U.S. Department of State, Public domain, source
- Kyz kuu: SSGT JEREMY T. LOCK, Public domain, source
- Senegalese wrestling: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Apple bobbing: Caleb Zahnd, CC BY 2.0, source
- Pasola: Fakhri Anindita, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dog sledding: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source