Popular games of yesteryears considered integral components of Bahraini heritage such as Al Khabsa, Al Sikeena, Dawama and Al Teela could be revived as ‘national attractions’.
The Muharraq Municipal Council has urged the government to come onboard and reintroduce the traditional activities for younger generations to enjoy as they may not be aware of the outdoor fun their great-grandparents once found playing them.
Councillors have suggested that open spaces within existing heritage or historical sites could be utilised for such purposes. Currently, some of the golden-oldie games are occasionally showcased during the annual Heritage Festival and at a haphazard frequency at other events.
“To bring those games to life, a lively place needs to be selected,” said council chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar, adding that he could envisage regular timings in a calendar of events to generate family interest.
“As an initial suggestion, we could stage Al Khabsa or Al Teela tournaments at historic forts like Abu Maher or Arad since they involve sand.
“Traditional games that were popular in residential areas such as Dawama or Al Sikeena could be held in local neighbourhoods or alleys, or even as part of the world heritage Pearling Path attractions.
“Any traditional games that could also be played indoors could be hosted in shopping complexes by replicating the original atmosphere providing another tourism draw.”
He added that the ideas for reintroducing these fun activities were limitless.
“Also, the higher the interest generated, the more likely our national games could spread across the world,” Mr Al Naar added. “Once we spark the interest of the younger generations who knows how the games could take off again!”
The health and social benefits should not be ignored either, say councillors fully aware and concerned over the number of young people glued to the screens of their computers, laptops and smartphones.
The authority is awaiting a response from government agencies covering tourism and heritage to see whether the suggestion can be included in future plans, perhaps launched during Ramadan.
Outdoor fun time of yesteryears
Al Sikeena is a fun game for boys and girls, whereby a large rectangle is drawn on the ground then further divided into six smaller rectangles. A disc-like canister of shoe polish (called alqais) is kicked by the participants using their right leg while standing on their left in an organised manner from one rectangle to the next, then hopping to the rectangle to which they were pushed.
Al Khabsa is a simple skill game that was usually played when pilgrims returned from Haj, as bead necklaces were a common homecoming gift. To play, the girls gather in a circle with a small mound of sand and their beads in the middle. One of the girls then moves the sand around to completely bury all the beads, then divides the play area into a number of sections equal to the number of players. Each girl then picks the section she wants and digs up the beads contained therein. The girl who collects the most beads wins and handles hiding the beads in the next round, while the girl who loses all her beads is eliminated.
Dawama (spinning top) is a simple game played mostly by boys. It requires good hand-eye co-ordination, and is named after its main tool, known as al dawwamah meaning ‘the vortex’ or ‘the spinner’, which is a pear-shaped piece of wood with a nail fastened at its narrower end, not to be confused with the main tool used in the game known as al-balboul. To play, the player wraps a thick cotton thread around al dawwamah from the nail upwards, then throws it on the ground while pulling back quickly in one rapid movement to make it spin. He then must skillfully try to again wrap the string around the nail – while al dawwamah is still in motion – and toss it in the air and catch it in the palm of his hand.
Al Teela (marbles) is a favourite game with many variations, each of which is played in a certain way. In one of them – called Al-Nita’a – players line-up their corks single file while keeping a second cork. One by one, they throw the corks they are holding at the line-up and get to keep the ones they knock over, and so on.
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