Traditional games of Myanmar

Myanmar has a number of traditional games, sports, and martial arts.[1][2] Some of these games were designed to teach people how to protect themselves and their communities.[3]

## Traditional games

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### Chinlone

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This section is an excerpt from Chinlone.[edit]

Chinlone (Burmese: ခြင်းလုံး, pronounced [t͡ɕʰɪ́ɰ̃.lóʊɰ̃]), also known as caneball, is the traditional, national sport of Myanmar (Burma). It is non-competitive, with typically six people playing together as one team. The ball used is normally made from hand-woven rattan, which sounds like a basket when hit. Similar to the game of hacky-sack, chinlone is played by individuals passing the ball among each other within a circle without using their hands. However, in chinlone, the players are walking while passing the ball, with one player in the center of the circle. The point of the game is to keep the ball from hitting the ground while passing it back and forth as creatively as possible. The sport of chinlone is played by men, women, and children, often together, interchangeably. Although very fast, chinlone is meant to be entertaining and fluid, as if it were more of a performance or dance.[4]

### Phankhon

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This section is an excerpt from Phankhon.[edit]

Children of Set Set Yo Village in Myanmar demonstrating the fifth and final round of phankhon, or "High Jump Game." This traditional game is played by children in Myanmar. A similar game called Luksong tinik is played by Filipino children. Phankhon (Burmese: ဖန်ခုန်တမ်း) is a traditional children's game in Myanmar. The game is played mostly by girls, though young boys will sometimes join in.[5] Phankhon requires two teams comprising four to five players. There is an offensive team and a defending team. The offensive team must hop on one leg over five different human obstacles created by the “defending” team. With each round, the defending team adds an obstacle to make the jumps higher.

### Htote si toe

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See also: Atya patya

Htote si toe (meaning "border-crossing game") is a tag game in which offensive players attempt to cross the lines of a narrow field without being tagged by defenders standing on those lines.[6][7]

### Gaung ohn yite

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This is a game in which two opponents sit on a bar elevated above the ground and attempt to knock each other off by hitting one another with a pillow.[8][9]

## Martial arts

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### Lethwei

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This section is an excerpt from Lethwei.[edit]

Lethwei (Burmese: လက်ဝှေ့; IPA: [lɛʔ.ʍḛ]) or Burmese boxing is a full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is regarded as one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.[10][11] Lethwei fighters are allowed to use stand-up striking techniques such as kicks, knees, elbows and punches, and the use of headbutts is also permitted.[12] Fighters compete bareknuckle, wrapping their hands with only tape and gauze.[13][14] Disallowed in most combat sports, headbutts are important weapons in a Lethwei fighter's arsenal, giving Lethwei its name of the "Art of nine limbs".[15][16][17] This, combined with its bareknuckle nature, gave Lethwei a reputation for being one of the bloodiest and most violent martial arts.[18][19] Although popular throughout modern Myanmar, Lethwei has been primarily and historically associated with the Karen people of the Kayin State; vast majority of competitive Lethwei fighters are ethnolinguistically of Karen descent.[20][21][14]

### Naban

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Naban.[edit]

Naban (Burmese: နပန်း, pronounced [nəbáɰ̃]) is a traditional form of grappling from Myanmar. Naban is integrated into other fighting styles instead of existing as a separate martial art.[22] Originally based on Indian wrestling,[23] it is practiced primarily in rural areas. Naban is especially popular among the Kachin and Chin tribes that have Himalayan origins. Techniques include joint locks, strikes to pressure points, palm strikes, foot strikes and chokeholds. Any part of the opponent's body is a legal target.

### Kyin

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Kyin.[edit]

Kyin (Burmese: ကျင်) is a form of wrestling from Myanmar. It is practiced by the Rakhine people, a minority group in Myanmar. It is practiced in Rakhine State. Tournaments of this sport are usually held during big occasions, for example, Rakhine State Day events.

In Kyin wrestling tournaments, practitioners usually put on a display of warming-up dancing, which is called "kyin kwin" in their local language. Then the fighting is on. The rules are simple. No punching. No touching on the face. No attacking below the belt. The winner throws his opponent to the ground a fixed number of times.[24]

The walls near the cave of Shite-thaung Temple which was built in 1531 show early depiction of the sport of kyin wrestling.[25]

## Board games

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### Sittuyin

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This section is an excerpt from Sittuyin.[edit]

Sittuyin board and starting position

Sittuyin (Burmese: စစ်တုရင်), also known as Burmese chess, is a strategy board game created in Myanmar. It is a direct offspring of the Indian game of chaturanga, which arrived in Myanmar in the 8th century thus it is part of the same family of games such as chess, and shogi. Sit is the modern Burmese word for "army" or "war"; the word sittuyin can be translated as "representation of the four characteristics of army"--chariot, elephant, cavalry and infantry.

In its native land, the game has been largely overshadowed by Western (international) chess, although it remains popular in the northwest regions.[26]

## Animal events

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### Polo

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This section is an excerpt from Polo.[edit]

Players playing polo Polo or Chovgan (Persian: چوگان) is a ball game that is played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports.[27] It originated in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran), dating back over 2,000 years. Initially played by Persian nobility as a training exercise for cavalry units, polo eventually spread to other parts of the world. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into periods called chukkas or chukkers.

Polo was popular among royals in Myanmar, as evidenced by historical illustrations.[1]

## See also

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* Traditional games of South Asia

## References

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1. ^ a b May, San San (2018-07-26). "Chinlone, polo and more: Paintings from Burmese manuscripts show how traditional games were played". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
2. ^ Downing, Jared (2018-09-01). "Traditional Myanmar street games explained". Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
3. ^ Huh, Youn Jung; Lim, Boo Young; Im, Haesung (2022-01-02). "Myanmar children's play and resilience: analyses of Myanmar teacher candidates' digital photo essays". International Journal of Play. 11 (1): 81–98. doi:10.1080/21594937.2022.2042937. ISSN 2159-4937.
4. ^ Dir. Hamilton, Greg (2006). Mystic Ball. The film, Black Rice Productions.
5. ^ "The encyclopedia of Myanmar Games". Retrieved 2018-11-12.
6. ^ "Traditional sports event in Palaw marks 71st anniversary of Independence Day". MDN – Myanmar DigitalNews. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
7. ^ Sengupta, Nilanjana (2015-12-09). The Female Voice of Myanmar: Khin Myo Chit to Aung San Suu Kyi. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-57027-2.
8. ^ SST (2021-08-05). "Gallery: National Night Out celebrations around Johnson County". Southside Times. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
9. ^ "Traditional Games in Myanmar". study.com. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
10. ^ Jose Rodriguez T. Senase (11 November 2017). "World Lethwei Championship in Cambodia postponed again". Khmer Times. "Lethwei is the one of the most aggressive and brutal martial arts in the world"
* Karl R. De Mesa (12 March 2019). "The Most Brutal Sport in the World Uses Bare Knuckles and Head Butts". Vice.
* "Myanmar's Lethwei - the most brutal combat sport in the world?". Channel News Asia. 27 October 2019.
* James Rees (25 August 2022). "Is Lethwei The Most Brutal Martial Art?". Lethwei World.
* Ondřej Jarůšek (12 November 2022). "The Most Brutal Sport In The World: Burmese Boxing Is Only For The Strongest". Refresher.
* "Canadian Boxer's Action Turns Into A Big Issue". Thai News Room. 9 May 2021. "Burmese bare knuckle boxing, considered the world's most brutal sport"
11. ^ Liam Fresen (June 30, 2023). "Lethwei legend Dave Leduc responds to Mike Perry's call-out on JRE - 'It will not be like Luke Rockhold fight'". Sportskeeda.
12. ^ Kyaw Zin Hlaing (1 September 2015). "Easy win for Lethwei fighters". Myanmar Times.
13. ^ Olavarria, Pedro (2 December 2014). "Bando: The style of Burmese Martial Arts". VICE Fightland.
* Calderon, Justin (23 September 2014). "Punches, headbutts, knockouts: Asia's 'new' martial arts sensation". CNN.
14. ^ a b "Lethwei : The world's most brutal sport". Ugly Chicken. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019.
15. ^ Darren (18 April 2019). "Lethwei Fighter Lands Torpedo Headbutt KO". Scrap Digest. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
16. ^ Zarni Pyo (21 July 2017). "The Art Of Nine Limbs". Myanmar Times.
17. ^ Steven Rae (13 March 2019). "Lethwei: Everything you need to know about Burmese bareknuckle boxing". The Body Lock.
18. ^ Paul Millar (18 July 2018). "BAREKNUCKLE BOXING Blood sport". South East Asia Globe.
* Jack Board (27 October 2019). "From Myanmar, with blood: The Singaporean fighting tradition to take the martial art of lethwei to the world". Channel News Asia. "Lethwei is considered by some to be the world's most brutal martial art"
* Matthew Scott (11 November 2017). "'Once you get a taste, there's no turning back': brutal, bloody lethwei making Myanmar a martial arts mecca". South China Morning Post.
19. ^ "THE ART OF THE NINTH LIMB: HOW THE HEADBUTT CHANGES A FIGHT". The Fight Library. December 20, 2023.
20. ^ Green, T. (2001). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia (Vol. 1).
21. ^ Draeger, D. F., Smith, R. W. (1980). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Japan: Kodansha International.
22. ^ Green, T. (2001). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia (Vol. 1).
23. ^ Donn F. Draeger and Robert W. Smith (1969). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Kodansha. ISBN 978-0-87011-436-6.
24. ^ "Rakhine traditional wrestling in Myanmar (by Coconuts TV)". Coconuts TV. 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-12-31. Alt URL
25. ^ Kyun (Myanmar). (n.d.). Traditional Sports. https://www.traditionalsports.org/traditional-sports/asia/kyun-myanmar.html
26. ^ Pritchard (1994), p. 31
27. ^ "THE HISTORY OF POLO". argentinapolo.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2018.

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