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.
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.
🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United States and 2 moreWorld Eskimo-Indian Olympics
An annual Arctic gathering of traditional survival games, athletics, and cultural artsGame
🇲🇽 MexicoRarájipari
A traditional endurance running ball game of the Rarámuri people in northern MexicoGame
🇲🇽 Veracruz, Mexico and 3 moreMesoamerican ballgameōllamalīztli
An ancient Mesoamerican ball game, struck with the hips on stone courtsGame
🇺🇸 Boise, United States and 3 moreBasque festivalEuskal jaiak
Gatherings of dance, sport and food that keep Basque culture alive far from homeFestival
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCharro traditionCharro
The equestrian skills, formal attire and rodeo arts of the Mexican horseman.Game
🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesSuper Bowl
The annual championship game of American professional football, held every February.Game
🇺🇸 United StatesNalukataq
A spring whaling festival of the Iñupiat in Northern Alaska, featuring a blanket toss and communal feast.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇱 Greenland and 3 moreDog sledding
An Arctic tradition of navigating snow and ice behind working dog teamsCraft
🇨🇦 Calgary, CanadaCalgary StampedeStampede de Calgary
A ten-day July festival of rodeo, racing, and community breakfasts in Alberta.Festival · Breakfast
🇨🇦 Quebec City, CanadaQuebec Winter CarnivalCarnaval de Québec
A midwinter celebration of snow, outdoor sports and caribou in Quebec City.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇺🇸 Tahlequah, United StatesCherokee National Holiday
An annual gathering in Oklahoma marking the signing of the Cherokee ConstitutionFestival
🇲🇽 Acolman, Mexico and 1 morePiñata
A festive decorated container broken open with a stick to scatter treats and fruitFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMarco Polo
A swimming pool tag game where one blindfolded player uses sound to find othersGame
🇨🇦 Edmonton, CanadaGrand North American Old Time Fiddle Championship
An annual summer fiddle tournament and community gathering in Alberta, CanadaPerformance
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
- Mesoamerican ballgame: Daniel Lobo (Daquella manera), CC BY 2.0, source
- Calgary Stampede: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Basque festival: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Quebec Winter Carnival: Shapiros10, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Piñata: No machine-readable author provided. JEDIKNIGHT1970 assumed (based on, Public domain, source
- Charro tradition: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Super Bowl: John Tornow, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nalukataq: Floyd Davidson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dog sledding: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source