INSIDE AFGHANISTAN

One may think the people of a war torn country like Afghanistan wouldn't have time for sports and leisure, but that's not the case.  The Afghan people take pride in the sports and games they play and they are a welcome relief from their everyday struggles.  Winning in sports and games is often associated with defending the honor of one's family and the Afghan people take their games very seriously.  Under Taliban rule, many sports were banned.  Even children were banned from having simple toys like kites, dolls & stuffed animals.  Despite the Taliban, traditional sports & games live on today.

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Buzkashi is a traditional sport played in Afghanistan.  Buzkashi means "grab the goat".  It is a sport where players ride horses and try to pick up a dead goat and ride to a designated zone, then return it to the circle you picked it up at to score a goal  It is a fast paced violent game!  Unofficial matches have been known to take up to a week to finish and can have thousands of players.  Official teams have 10 players each and games last around an hour.

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The Afghans love kite fighting!  Kite fighting like many sports, was banned by the Taliban, but the tradition lives on. Kite fighting is a competitive sport.  The object of the game is to cut your opponent's kite string.  The string is often made of wire to make it more difficult to cut.  Players wear leather gloves to avoid cutting their hands.  The winner gets to take the loser's kite.

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Another important sport to the Afghan people is Pahlwani.  Pahlwani is similar to American wrestling, but there is a twist!  Like wrestling, the object is to pin your opponent, but you have to do it without touching the opponent's legs.  Other popular sports in Afghanistan include cricket, soccer & rugby.

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Young children in Afghanistan also have a lot of traditional games they like to play.  Many games are similar to games like hopscotch, marbles, jacks & tag.  One game is called Eagle.  It is a tag game where the "eagle" sits on a rock & the "pigeons" leave home base to find food.  If the "eagle" leaves the rock & tags you, you are out.  Bujal Bazi is another popular children's game.  It is like marbles except it is played with sheep or goat knuckle bones.  The object is to knock your opponent's bones out of a circle drawn in the dirt.

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Leisure activities are an important part of all cultures.  Despite bans under Taliban rule and civil unrest, the Afghan people have managed to keep traditional sports and games alive.  These activities give the people of Afghanistan a sense of pride and provide them with a break from their difficult lives.

 

 

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