ETHIOPIAN CHILDREN'S GAMES
Time to time people is asking me to write about something, and it is good so I can have more subjects to teach to Ethiopian children. Today I'm going to speak about some popular Ethiopian children's games. Try to play with your children, after they can also teach their friends. A good Idea could be to organize games like this in the birthday parties for example.
ACOOCOOLU (is the voice of the chicken)
One of the children is looking at the wall and the other children have to hide themselves. For a short while the one that look the wall (his house) waits after that he start to say "coocoolu", and if the children are still not hided they answer "alnegam" (is not still day) after he repeat again and again up to the moment that the children have find a hiding place and they answer "nega" (the sun rises).
At this point the hided children have to try to arrive to the wall, touch it and kiss their own hand to be safe. The one that was on the wall instead have to discover the other children, tell their name and arrive to his house, touch the wall and kiss his hand before the other arrive.
If he do it the child discovered is his prisoner and will be at the wall the next time, if a child arrive to the wall and can kiss his hand before the one who counts tell his name and do the same, the one that was on the wall count again.
The game start again when there are two or three prisoners or when a child arrive to the wall.
SAGNO MAKSAGNO (monday tuesday)
You have to draw lines on the ground like the draw below separated about 40cm. Every horizontal line means a house. The first child throw a stone on the first part and have to jump from part to part without touching the place were there is the stone, if is able to do it well, the child can tray to throw the stone on the second place, ans so up to the end, if is able to finish all the places he can get one of the parts (he buy a house) and no one without him can jump on it.
Rules:
If in one part is divided in the middle the child can jump with both feed if no with one only.
If the child is not able to jump well he loose the turn and is the next to start the game.
If the child is not able to throw the stone in the right place loose also the turn.
The jumps have to be in two ways, to go, and to back and when the child is going back have to collect the stone. It means that the last place have to be used to turn back.
When a child have buy a house he can jump there with one or two feed.
If a house belongs to a child he make there his own sign or he write his name on it.
The game finish if one child have all the houses or if is not more possible to jump because one child have buy enough to make it impossible.
Time to time people is asking me to write about something, and it is good so I can have more subjects to teach to Ethiopian children. Today I'm going to speak about some popular Ethiopian children's games. Try to play with your children, after they can also teach their friends. A good Idea could be to organize games like this in the birthday parties for example.
ACOOCOOLU (is the voice of the chicken)
One of the children is looking at the wall and the other children have to hide themselves. For a short while the one that look the wall (his house) waits after that he start to say "coocoolu", and if the children are still not hided they answer "alnegam" (is not still day) after he repeat again and again up to the moment that the children have find a hiding place and they answer "nega" (the sun rises).
If he do it the child discovered is his prisoner and will be at the wall the next time, if a child arrive to the wall and can kiss his hand before the one who counts tell his name and do the same, the one that was on the wall count again.
The game start again when there are two or three prisoners or when a child arrive to the wall.
SAGNO MAKSAGNO (monday tuesday)
You have to draw lines on the ground like the draw below separated about 40cm. Every horizontal line means a house. The first child throw a stone on the first part and have to jump from part to part without touching the place were there is the stone, if is able to do it well, the child can tray to throw the stone on the second place, ans so up to the end, if is able to finish all the places he can get one of the parts (he buy a house) and no one without him can jump on it.
Rules:
If in one part is divided in the middle the child can jump with both feed if no with one only.
If the child is not able to jump well he loose the turn and is the next to start the game.
If the child is not able to throw the stone in the right place loose also the turn.
The jumps have to be in two ways, to go, and to back and when the child is going back have to collect the stone. It means that the last place have to be used to turn back.
When a child have buy a house he can jump there with one or two feed.
If a house belongs to a child he make there his own sign or he write his name on it.
The game finish if one child have all the houses or if is not more possible to jump because one child have buy enough to make it impossible.
Thank you for this great blog. I have twin daughters from Ethiopia (as well as two sons) and learning about their culture is so important to us. Though I think of their biological family everyday, you have reminded me that I am overdue in sending them pictures and an update. Thank you...
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your site. Did you make this web site yourself? Please reply back as I'm looking to create my own site and would like to learn where you got this from . You have done superb work.
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We sponsor a young girl in Ethiopia. Trying to find out about these two games - "Demosh" and "Pendulem". Can you tell us what these games are about?
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