Youth game among the Slavs 7. Slavic games for children - clan-family-craft - file directory - velumudr

When creating games, the Russian people invested deep meaning into them - this is study, work, and education. Outdoor games develop dexterity, flexibility, strength, cultivate a heroic spirit, and also make you think. Folk games evoke a feeling of unity and camaraderie.

Capture of the town

Capture of the town - On a hillock, people build a fortification from trees and branches, and in winter - from snow. This will be a town. All ladies, young and old, become defenders of the fortress and are located inside the town. The men are divided into riders and horses and begin to advance. The task of the men is to destroy the fortress, penetrate and capture the banner. The difficulty is that you need to be on the horse all this time, but if the rider is thrown off or he falls himself, then he flies out of the game. The girls' task is to protect the banner and prevent it from being captured. To protect the banner, women can use sticks wrapped in skins, which creates a kind of club, bags filled with straw, and snowballs in winter. The game continues until the attackers capture the banner or abandon this idea. In most cases, the game drags on, because the horseman who captured the flag is awarded the honor of kissing all the ladies in the fortress.

Horses

Horses - players are divided into two teams - two troops. Within the team there is a division into riders and horses. The riders are most often women. The players' task is to unbalance the other pair. The team whose riders remain in the saddle wins.
Christians, having watched such games from behind the bushes, then made up terrible tales about “jumping witches” driving people to death.

Lizard

In this game, the role of a lizard is played by a young man - he is the ruler of the underworld. Around him, the participants become a circle. The lizard is blindfolded and a round dance begins around him, chanting a song:

The lizard sits
Nuts shelling
Under the walnut bush
Chok-chok, piglet,
The lizard is sitting - a fool.

"Lizard":
I want to get married!

Get yourself a girl
A young girl.

"Lizard":

Who is she,
What is her name
And where will they bring it from?

Chorus:
Here she is!

“Lizard” points a finger at the victim without removing the bandage. If the selected player turns out to be a young man, then he takes the place of the “lizard”. If it’s a girl, then the “lizard” carries her to the nearest river to “drown” her. While the lizard is carrying the girl to the water, she can pay off with a kiss or wait until the lizard gets tired. It all depends on the girl’s desire.

Blinking little lights

The participants form a double circle, that is, behind each person there is a second one - his pair. One participant is left without a pair.
The goal of the player without a pair is to entice the player standing in the inner circle by discreetly winking at him. If the player standing in the outer circle does not notice the wink, then he goes to the center, and the driver takes his place.

The bright and original features of the culture of any nation are best manifested in the games they create. For many centuries, Russian folk games have been a part of both everyday life and a mandatory highlight of any holiday for both children and adults. They acted as not only an excellent way to have fun and interesting time, but also as an excellent psychological relief, a good means of self-knowledge, unobtrusively teaching the younger generation dexterity, courage, bravery, kindness, mutual assistance, nobility and self-sacrifice in the name of the common good.

In the life of the Russian people, as historians have noted, folk games, reflecting the special features of the Slavic mentality, social structure and general worldview, have always occupied a very important place. They had enormous educational significance; they required from participants in games and amusements not only physical effort, but also remarkable intelligence, dexterity, cunning, presence of mind in any situation, tirelessness and perseverance. Usually all games were played in the fresh air and in unlimited space, which undoubtedly contributed to the physical development of the younger generation, its hardening and preparation for a difficult adult life.

Russian games were distinguished by their diversity, they were attended by both children and adults, who, on rare holidays due to hard work, could afford to have fun, competing in strength or dexterity, at least slightly throwing away the gray everyday life. Russian folk games can be divided into men's games (Babki, Lapta, Gorodki, Taking the Snow Town), children's games (Ladushki, Magpie-Crow), and collective games (Gorelki, Hide and Seek) , “Stream”, “Hide and Seek”, “Guide”).

Games and fun of the Russian people:

Grandmas

The equipment for the game “Babki” was the cleaned bones of the lower periosteal joints of hoofed domestic animals (cows, pigs, sheep) and one large bone used as a bat, usually filled with lead or cast iron for weight. From two to ten children could participate in the game, each with his own bat and several doughnuts. The playing field was drawn out on a flat surface, and dice (knucklebones) were placed in a special window (kon line) in a certain sequence, each of which had to be knocked out with a bat in a certain way. This is an emotional and exciting ancient Russian game that improved throwing skills, developed strength, speed, eye, and cultivated endurance and attention.

Lapta

“Lapta” is a Russian folk team game that used a bat (it was spade-shaped, hence the name of the game) and a ball, and was played in an open natural space, divided into two sides: “city” and “kon”, occupied by different teams. The game was that a player of one team had to hit the ball with a bat harder in the direction belonging to the enemy, so that it would fly further away and during this time run to the “enemy’s” camp and back, and so that you would not be “hit” with the ball caught by the team players enemy. A successful run earned the team a point, and whoever had the most won. This game contributed to the unity of people, developed in them a sense of strong camaraderie, mutual support, loyalty and, of course, developed attentiveness and dexterity.

Towns

“Towns” (otherwise known as “Ryuhi”, “Chushki”, “Pigs”). In this game, from a certain distance, with a special bat, arranged “towns” were knocked out on a marked area - figures from several wooden blocks made of birch, linden, beech, etc. The main task was to knock out 15 main figures, each of which had its own name, using the minimum number of throws. Competitions for knocking out figures can be either individual or team. The game is exciting and requires dexterity and strength, endurance, accuracy and excellent coordination of movements.

Brook

In ancient times, not a single holiday was complete among young people without the cheerful, wise and very meaningful game “Stream”, which intertwined such important feelings for young people as the choice of sympathy, the fight for their love, testing the strength of feelings, jealousy, and a magical touch on the hand your chosen one.

The participants in the game stood in pairs one after another, took hands and raised them high above their heads, forming a long corridor of clasped hands. The player who did not get a pair walked inside a kind of stream-like corridor and, breaking up the pair, took his chosen one or chosen one to the end of the corridor. The man left alone went to the beginning, choosing a new mate. Thus, the “stream” is constantly in motion, the more people there are, the more fun and exciting the game is.

Burners

“Burners” is a fun, mischievous and active game that develops attention and speed. The players split into pairs and stood in columns, the selected driver stood with his back to them, without looking back. A line is drawn in front of him at some distance, the participants sang a cheerful song “Burn-burn clearly” and at the end of it, on the word “run” the couple opens their hands and runs to the line, and the driver must catch one of them before they close their hands beyond the line . He becomes a pair with the one caught, and his partner, who is left alone, becomes the next driver.

Hide and seek

The game of “Hide and Seek” is a popular children's entertainment, characterized by fun, excitement and mobility; it promotes the development of ingenuity, endurance and resourcefulness, and teaches teamwork. You can play it either alone or as a team. They choose a driver who stands facing the wall and closes his eyes, the rest run away and hide, the driver must find them and call them by name.

Ladushki

The favorite nursery rhyme game for very young children was the well-known “Ladushki”, designed to amuse the child and interest him with funny rhymes, accompanied by movements of the hands and head, clapping of hands, and fascinating facial expressions. This game develops fine motor skills and coordination of movements well, teaches communication skills and of course brings a lot of positive emotions to the baby.

Taking the snow town

“Taking the Snow Town” is a traditional winter fun of the Russian people, which was part of the daring games on Maslenitsa. The “town” (represented two walls with a gate decorated with a figurine of a rooster, a bottle and a glass) was built from snow in an open space (in a field or square), doused with water to make it more inaccessible.

The game involved two teams, usually consisting of young, strong guys, some were “besieged”, they were inside a snow fortress, others were “besiegers”, they attacked with the goal of capturing the snowy town and destroying it (by the way, they were allowed to be on horses). The defenders of the town (they were on foot) defended themselves with branches and brooms, covered the attackers with snow with shovels and threw snowballs at them. The first one to break into the gates of the snow fortress was considered the winner. Such entertainment was characterized by unbridled daring, fun and desperate recklessness.

The Russian people came up with games and fun with care and love for their children, hoping that with their help they would not only spend their free time fun and healthy, but also become fast, dexterous and strong, learn to communicate with each other, and value friendship , come to the rescue, be honest and not be afraid of difficulties, firmly believing in your own strength and the help of friends.

Wolves in a ditch A corridor is drawn on the ground, about a meter wide, indicating a ditch. It could be made of different widths and zigzag. The drivers and wolves are located in the ditch. There are few of them, two or three, and they have no right to leave the moat. The rest of the players are hares. The hares try to jump over the ditch and not get greased by the wolves. If the hare is touched, he leaves the game or becomes a wolf himself.

Details: Hares do not run across the moat, but jump over it. If the hare's foot touches the territory of the ditch, this means that he has fallen into the ditch and in this case is also eliminated from the game.

Wolves and sheep On the playing field, areas are demarcated, 3-4 steps wide and called paddocks. The players appoint one of the participants as a shepherd, another as a wolf, and the rest remain in the role of sheep. The space between the pens is called the field. On one side it is separated by a line into a small space - the wolf's lair. After this, the sheep are placed in one of the pens, and the shepherd himself stands in the field near the pen. The wolf invites the shepherd to drive the flock of sheep into the field, and at this time he himself tries to grab one of them and drag him into his lair. The shepherd tries to protect the sheep heading to the opposite fold from the wolf. Those caught by the wolf become his assistants. Helpers cannot “catch” sheep, but they can detain them in every possible way, preventing them from returning to the fold. After the next capture, the wolf again turns to the shepherd with the words: “drive the herd to the field,” and the game continues. The number of the wolf's helpers gradually increases, and each time he continues to go hunting for sheep with them.

Details The wolf should not leave the den until the sheep leave their pen and move in the opposite direction. A wolf can only catch sheep in the field.

Lame Fox One player is chosen to play the role of the lame fox. The remaining players become ducks. At the place chosen for the game, a fairly large circle is outlined - a poultry yard, which includes everyone except the lame fox. At a signal, the ducks run in a circle, and at this time the lame fox jumps on one leg and tries to stain one of the scattering ducks, that is, to touch her with his hand. When the fox succeeds, she joins the ducks, and the caught duck becomes the new fox.

Details: Ducks are not allowed to leave the poultry yard. The fox catches them, always jumping on one leg.

The Bear and the Leader To play, you need a rope 1.5-2 meters long. One of the participants is appointed as a bear, the other as a leader. They take the opposite ends of the rope in their hands, and the rest of the players group 4-6 steps away from them. At the signal given by the leader, the game begins, and everyone rushes at the bear, trying to stain it. The leader, guarding the latter, in turn tries to stain everyone approaching the bear before the bear receives 5-6 light blows. If the leader succeeds, the player stained by him becomes a bear. And in the same case, if the bear receives the above number of blows, and the leader does not have time to stain anyone, then he himself becomes a bear, and the one who dealt the last blow becomes the leader.

Details: Those who spot the bear must declare out loud the blow they have struck, and the blows can only be delivered one at a time, and not simultaneously by two or more players. At the beginning and during the game, with each change of central characters: the leader and the bear, the rest of the participants should not approach them closer than 4-6 steps until the leader gives a signal. For violating the last rule, the punishment is to play the role of a bear.

The Waterman (the leader) sits in a circle with his eyes closed. The players dance around him with the words:

Grandfather of the water, why are you sitting under water? Look out for a little bit, Just for a minute

The circle stops and the merman stands up and, without opening his eyes, approaches one of the players. The merman's task is to determine who is in front of him. If the merman guessed right, he changes role and now the one whose name was named becomes the driver. Details: The merman can touch the player standing in front of him, but his eyes cannot be opened.

Devils in Hell This game is a type of tag. Parallel lines are drawn on the ground at a distance of 2 meters, and this space is called Hell. Two drivers are running inside it, holding hands - devils. All other participants stand on different sides of Hell and try to run across it to the other side. Those who are tainted also become devils. Details: Devils are forbidden to let go of each other's hands.

Grandfather-horn

Nowadays the game is known as “sorcerers”. The leader chosen by lot, in this case the grandfather-horn (sorcerer), is assigned a house in which he sits quietly for the time being. The remaining players, divided equally into two groups, move away in different directions from this house - at a distance of 15-25 steps. At the same time, each party draws a line for itself or places a pole, thereby designating each of its houses. The free space between these features, or houses, is called the field. Grandfather-horn from his house asks:

Who's afraid of me? - Nobody! - the players answer, running across the field and teasing the driver: - Grandfather-horn, he burned a hole on his shoulder!

Tom needs to catch the players and take them to his house. Such players are considered bewitched and cannot leave the house. While Grandfather Horn is busy catching one of the running players, the players caught by him can be rescued by their comrades. To do this, you need to run up to the sorcerer’s house and touch the captured person with your hand. This player is considered disenchanted. He can leave home and join his old group. If Grandfather the Horn catches everyone, then the one who was caught first starts driving in the next game.

Details: A player caught by a sorcerer who wants to be disenchanted must extend his arms to the sides with the words: “Tea-tea, help me out!”

Plowmen and reapers Two circles are drawn along the edges of the playing area: one means “field”, the other “arable land”. A line is drawn between the circles at an equal distance. All participants in the game are divided into two teams. One team is Plowman, it stands on one side of the line - where the “arable land” is; the other team - the Reapers - stands on the other side of the line - where the “field” is. The driver stands to the side. Plowmen, turning to the Reapers, sing

We plowed the arable land, plowed deep furrows. The furrows are deep, the stripes are wide. And you are thin reapers - Your sickles are dull

The Reapers answer:

You have a plowman Sysoy, His plow is dull. He did not plow the arable land, He lay on the boundary, He lay on the boundary, The raven was counting. And we are young reapers, We have golden sickles. We reaped our lives, Knitted them in sheaves, We took them out to the threshing floor, We threshed them with a flail, We beat out the grain - We started with pies!

Immediately the driver throws up a block of wood (with bark on one side, smoothly planed on the other). The bar falls down with its bark side and up with its smooth side, the driver shouts:

“One, two, three - run to the field!”

At this command, the Reapers run across the field, and the Plowmen, having crossed the line, catch up with them, trying to catch them. Reapers who managed to run into the “field” can no longer be caught. The captured Reapers move to the Plowman team. Then everyone returns to their places to the line. The driver throws the block again, and the game continues. They play until one of the teams catches all the members of the other team.

Ivan the Mower and the Animals

According to the counting song:

Ivan with a braid, Don’t go barefoot, but go with shoes on, Weave bast shoes for yourself. If you wear shoes, the wolves and foxes will not find you, the bear will not find you. Come out, you'll burn! -

Ivan the Mower is chosen. The rest of the players call themselves Hare, Fox, Wolf, Bear, etc. Ivan the mower takes a stick in his hands - a “scythe” and makes movements as if mowing. They talk to him:

Ivan the Mower, what are you doing? - I cut the grass. - Why grass? - Feed the cows. - Why cows? - Milk milk. - Why milk? - Sculpt raw materials. - Why raw materials? - Feed the hunters. - Why hunters? - Catch animals in the forest!

After this answer, the guys run away and hide. Ivan the Mower runs to look for the “beasts” and, if he finds one of the hidden ones, he must guess which “beast” it is. If he guesses right, then the person caught drops out of the game, and Ivan the Mower looks for the other hidden guys.

"Cradle"

Teenage girls play more often, 2-5 people. You need a rope 2-3 m long.

Description

The rope is held by two people, each holding one end. You can tie one end to a post or tree, and then one person can hold it. The rope is not twisted, as in the game “Runners”, but is only swung above the ground at different heights - from 10-20 cm to 50 and higher. Participants, one by one (or in pairs), run up and jump over the swinging rope, or start jumping in different ways: with closed legs, on one leg, with crossed legs, with a turn while jumping, etc. They jump until they make a mistake. The one who made a mistake replaces one of those swinging the rope.

Rule. Not only a failed jump, but also any brushing of the rope is considered a mistake. However, if this happened due to the fault of those twisting the rope, then the jumper has the right to try again.

The game takes place on a flat surface. The players are divided into two teams, which line up opposite each other in a chain at a distance of 10-15 meters. The first team goes forward with the words:

Boyars, we have come to you!

And returns to its original place:

Dear ones, we have come to you!

Another repeats this maneuver with the words:

Boyars, why did they come? Dear ones, why did you come?

The dialogue begins:

Boyars, we need a bride. Dear ones, we need a bride. - Boyars, which one is dear to you? Dear ones, which one is your favorite?

The first team deliberates and chooses someone:

Boyars, this one is dear to us (pointing to the chosen one). Dear ones, this one is sweet to us.

The selected player turns around and now walks and stands in a chain, facing the other direction. The dialogue continues:

Boyars, she is our fool. Dear ones, she is our fool. - Boyars, and we whip her. Dear ones, we will whip her. -Boyars, she is afraid of the whip. Dear ones, she is afraid of the whip. - Boyars, we’ll give you some gingerbread. Dear ones, we’ll give you some gingerbread. -Boyars, her teeth hurt. Dear ones, her teeth hurt. - Boyars, we’ll take you to the doctor. Dear ones, we’ll take you to the doctor. - Boyars, she will bite the doctor. Dear ones, she will bite the doctor.

The first command completes:

Boyars, don’t play the fool, give us the bride forever!

The one who was chosen as the bride must run up and break the chain of the first team. If he succeeds, then he returns to his team, taking with him any player from the first. If the chain is not broken, then the bride remains in the first team, that is, she gets married. In any case, the losing team starts the second round. The teams' task is to keep more players. Details You can change the words of the dialogue, making them up as you go. You can't duck under your arms while running.

Seine The game takes place on a limited area, the boundaries of which cannot be crossed by any of the players. Two or three players join hands to form a net. Their task is to catch as many swimming fish as possible, i.e. the rest of the players. The fish's task is not to get caught in the net. If the fish is in the net, then it joins the drivers and itself becomes part of the net. The game continues until the player who turns out to be the most agile fish is determined. Details: Fish do not have the right to tear the net, i.e. unclasp the hands of the drivers

Fishing rod The players form a circle. The driver, standing in the center, rotates a rope with a bag of sand tied at the end - a fishing rod. The players jump over the rope as it passes under their feet, trying not to touch it. The one who touches the rope becomes the driver. Details: Rotation of the rope should not exceed knee level.

Birdcatcher The players determine one player who becomes the birdcatcher. Those who remain choose the names of birds whose calls they can imitate and become birds. The birds stand in a circle, in the center of which is a blindfolded birder. Birds walk around the bird catcher and chant:

In the forest, in the woods, on a green oak tree. The birds are singing merrily, Ay! The bird catcher is coming! He will take us into captivity, Birds, fly away!

The bird catcher claps his hands, the players stop in place, and the driver begins to look for birds. The one he finds imitates the call of the bird he has chosen. The birder guesses the name of the bird and the name of the one caught. After which this player himself becomes a bird catcher. If the birdcatcher makes a mistake, the game continues in the same roles. Details: Players should not hide behind objects encountered along the way. Players must stop in place exactly when signaled.

Baba Yaga According to the counting, Baba Yaga is chosen. Then a circle is drawn. Baba Yaga takes a broomstick branch in her hands and stands in the center of the circle. The guys run around the circle and tease:

Baba Yaga, Bone Leg, stoked the stove, cooked porridge. She fell from the stove and broke her leg. I went to the market and crushed the samovar. I went outside and crushed the chicken. I went out onto the lawn and scared the bunny. I went for a walk in the garden - I made all the kids laugh. I went to the garden and made all the people laugh!

Baba Yaga jumps in a circle on one leg and tries to touch the children with a broom. Whoever she stains freezes in place. Whichever of the players lifts the stained one and brings it into the circle, but is not stained himself, becomes the new Baba Yaga.

The guys grab each other by the waist and stand in single file along the spring stream. Everyone sings:

The spring flowed, white and snowy: Over clean fields, Over blue seas, Over mosses, over swamps, Over green logs. The Tsar is going to get married, the Princess orders him to return: I will come to you myself, in the summer - in a carriage, in the winter - in a carriage, in the spring - in a shuttle!

Then they try to jump over the stream sideways without touching the water. But at the same time, everyone interferes with his neighbor. The one who touches the water is eliminated from the game.

Burners The players stand in pairs, one after another. In front of everyone, at a distance of a couple of steps, stands the driver - the burner. The players chant:

Burn, burn clearly, so as not to go out. Stand by, look at the field, the trumpeters are riding there and eating the rolls. Look at the sky: The stars are shining, The cranes are shouting: - Gu, gu, I’ll run away! One, two, don't be a crow, but run like fire!

After the last words, those standing in the last pair run from both sides along the column to its beginning. The burner tries to stain one of them. If the running players managed to take each other's hands before the burner stains one of them, then they stand in front of the first pair, and the burner leads again. And the game repeats itself. If the burner manages to stain one of those running in a pair, then he stands with him in front of the entire column, and the one who is left without a pair burns. Details: The burner has no right to look back and can only catch up with those running away when they run past him.

Svaika Explanatory dictionaries describe this game as follows: “Russian folk game: throwing a sharp rod (also called svaika) with a spherical end into a ring lying on the ground.” We are better known for another version of the game, called “land” or “knives”. A circle is drawn on the ground and divided equally by the number of players. And the war begins to “cut off” the lands. They take turns. The walking player, standing on his share of the land, throws a knife into the circle so that it sticks in the territory of any of the neighbors. If the throw is successful, then the player who made it draws a line in the direction of the width of the knife blade on the ground to the border of his land. The new territory comes into his possession. If the throw fails or the player stumbles while trying to draw the boundary, then the throw attempt goes to the next player in line. If the player has so little land left that he cannot stand on it, then he is eliminated from the game, and the rest of his territory goes to his nearest neighbor. The one who manages to capture all the lands wins.

Details: If the knife is stuck outside the outlined circle or in its territory, the attempt is considered unsuccessful and the move is passed on to the next player.

12 sticks

For this game you need a board and 12 sticks. The board is placed on a small log to create something like a swing. All the players gather around this swing. 12 sticks are placed on the lower end, and one of the players hits the upper end so that all the sticks fly apart. The driver collects the sticks, while the players run away and hide. When the sticks are collected and placed on the board, the driver goes to look for the hidden ones. The found player is eliminated from the game. Any of the hidden players can sneak up to the swing unnoticed by the driver and break the sticks again. At the same time, hitting the board, he must shout out the name of the driver. The driver collects the sticks again, and all the players hide again. The game ends when all the hidden players are found and the driver manages to keep his sticks. The last player found becomes the driver.

Details: The driver picks up and places the sticks back on the swing strictly one at a time.

Blind Man's Bluff With the help of a counting rhyme, a driver is chosen - a blind man's buff. He is blindfolded, taken to the middle of the playground, forced to turn around several times and asked:

Cat, cat, what are you standing on? - In the kettle. - What's in the kneader? - Kvass. - Catch mice, not us!

After these words, the participants in the game run away, and the blind man’s buff catches them. The caught person changes roles with the driver.

Details: Zhmurka is forbidden to remove the blindfold, and those escaping have no right to leave the site.

The plot of this game is very simple: one driver is selected, who must catch up and make fun of the players running around the site. But this game has a few complicating options. The taunted player becomes the driver, and he must run, holding his hand on the part of the body for which he was taunted. The embarrassed player stops, stretches his arms to the side and shouts: Tea, tea, help out. He's bewitched. Other players can disenchant it by touching their hand. The leader must cast a spell on everyone. To do this faster, there can be 2-3 people driving.

Lapta Lapta is a two-way team game that is played on a rectangular court bounded by the side and end lines. The goal of one team is to make as many runs as possible after hitting the ball with the bat, in the allotted time for the game, where each player who makes a full run brings points to his team. The goal of the other team is to prevent the opponents from making runs with the ball and catching more “candles”, and, having hit the runaway, the team gains the right to strikes and runs, unless over-salting occurs (response).

Leapfrog One of the players is chosen to play the role of the goat. The rest must take turns jumping over it. Whoever failed to jump over the goat, or knocked it down, or fell after the jump, takes the place of the goat, and the former goat goes to jump. For complexity, instead of one goat, you can choose several, and the jumper must overcome the entire chain without mistakes.

Details: The goat is prohibited from deliberately bending, dodging or otherwise interfering with the jumper.

Arc To play the game, a rope is pulled and the players take turns going under it, bending over. In this case, you must not fall and touch the rope itself. With each end, the rope drops lower and lower and in the end the most flexible and stubborn one wins.

Cockfight A circle with a diameter of 1.5-2.0 meters is drawn, into which two participants of the game enter and are located at a distance of half a step from each other. Both bend one leg, holding it with the hand behind the foot, the other hand behind the back. The essence of the game is to jump on one leg and push your opponent with your shoulder to throw him off balance and push him out of the circle.

“Cauldron” This (or very close to it) game was widespread among Russians a thousand years ago. During excavations of Ancient Novgorod already in the layers of the 10th and 11th centuries. Many wooden balls and numerous remains of wooden clubs - sticks with a curved end - were found. The famous archaeologist B. A. Kolchin came to the conclusion that in the 10th and subsequent centuries in Novgorod one of the favorite games was “Ball-Mazlo” (“Cauldron”). In the book of E. A. Pokrovsky and a number of Russian collections of games of the 19th century. talks about the widespread distribution of the “Cauldron” throughout the country. Suppressed almost everywhere by a more modern game of a similar type - hockey, the game "Kotel" has nevertheless been preserved in certain areas of Russia. Young men or teenage boys play, usually 7-10 people. Each one has a stick 0.8-1 m long (lately hockey sticks are sometimes used). In the middle of a site measuring at least 20 x 20 m, a “cauldron” is dug - a shallow hole with a diameter of 15 to 50 cm, sometimes larger. Small holes are made around a radius of 1.5-2 m, which in different places are called “holes”, sometimes “mazels”, sometimes “onions” and in other ways. Their dimensions are such that the end of one club can easily fit in them, but there is no room left for the second. The number of holes is equal to the number of players without a driver. He is chosen by lot or by throwing sticks (whoever throws closest leads).

Description The driver takes a wooden ball with a diameter of 7-12 cm and moves aside, and the rest of the players stand at the holes, lowering the ends of their clubs into them. Having moved away from the circle in any direction to the distance specified before the game (usually 7-10 m), the driver throws the ball so that it rolls or flies with a canopy low above the ground and falls into the central hole - the “cauldron”. The rest of the players hit the flying or rolling ball with their sticks. If he still ends up in the “cauldron”, then everyone must exchange holes with each other. But at this time, the driver often manages to run up and take one of the holes with his club. The one left without a hole changes roles with the driver. If the ball was hit on the fly and did not fall into the “cauldron”, the driver runs up to it and begins to drive it along the ground with a club, trying to roll it into the “cauldron” in any way and force the players to change holes. However, all players, in turn, strive to prevent the ball from falling into the “cauldron”. To do this, they hit the ball with their sticks. It happens that one or even several players run quite far from their holes, driving the ball away from the “cauldron”. But at the same time, each of them must ensure that the driver, having left the ball, does not run to the holes and occupy the hole left unguarded with his club. Then the former owner of the hole becomes the driver. However, any of the remaining players can also run up to the empty hole and occupy it with their club, ahead of the driver. Two clubs cannot be placed in the same hole at the same time. Therefore, the latecomer runs to another vacant hole, but if he is late here too, he goes to drive. So, with a constant change of drivers, the game can last as long as the participants themselves decide. The task of each player who has become a driver is to occupy one of the holes as soon as possible.

1. The hole can only be occupied by the end of the club, not by the foot. 2. An already occupied hole must not be vacated by force. 3. In any case, when the ball is in the “cauldron”, everyone must leave their holes and exchange them with other players. 4. The ball can only be driven or stopped with the stick, not with the foot or hand. Anyone who breaks this rule becomes the driver.

Fist fight It will be surprising for many readers, but children also took part in fist fights in Rus'. Of course, they fought not with adults, but with each other, “for the sake of baiting.” In one of these types of games, the main place was occupied by contact confrontation between the “fighters”. Punching was allowed (usually the face and groin were excluded from the affected area), grabbing the body and clothing of opponents, and wrestling techniques. The players were divided into two teams. The clash of both parties took place in an open space, and in the end it was necessary to capture the enemy or put them to flight, which made the game similar to traditional adult fist fights. “Fighters” who fell or were knocked to the ground were considered “killed” and were eliminated from the game.

Snowballs One of the variants of this type of war game can be considered a game of “snowballs”, when one team of boys competed with another in throwing lumps of snow at each other. They could play until one of the teams admitted defeat, unable to withstand enemy fire. Or some additional rules were stipulated. For example, a player hit by a snowball could be considered “killed” or “wounded” and would be eliminated from further play. Or continued to participate in it (in case of “injury”), but with restrictions. The severity of the “wound” was determined by where the snowball hit. The man wounded in the leg could now move only by jumping on his good leg, etc.

Stick fighting In another type of war game, rivals fencing with wooden weapons: “swords,” “swords,” and sticks. The rules for “wounds” in this game were similar to the rules for “snowballs”. “Prisoners” captured by the rival party were also excluded from the game. It was strictly forbidden to intentionally hit the head, neck and groin with a “weapon”. The confrontation continued until all those playing on one side were “killed,” “seriously wounded,” “captured,” or put to flight.

Toad The Toad is selected. The rest draw a circle and stand on the line. The toad goes to the middle of the circle, and they talk to her:

Why do you need four legs, Toad? - To jump on the grass with outstretched legs. - Show me, Zhabka, how you jump and jump. - And I am like this and like this!

And the Toad shows how she jumps, and the children standing on the circle line sing:

Boda-boda-bolabada, A toad lives by the swamp. With his eyes bulging, he sits and says loudly: “Kwak-kwak, kwak-kwak, And I’m jumping like this!”

The toad jumps and tries to “trash” one of the guys. And the children, dodging, run along the circle line. Whoever the Toad touches becomes a new Toad. Option: After the words: “And I jump like this!” The toad shows some movement that everyone else must repeat. The Toad chooses the one who completed the task best and he becomes the new Toad.

The emergence of a folk game in Rus'

It is unlikely that we have ever seriously thought about who and when made the first snowball, who came up with the idea of ​​sledding down a hill, and how old the “Cossack robbers” are. These games have lived with us since childhood and were taken for granted by us. But all active children’s games have their own history, which is closely intertwined with the history of our country, we just don’t pay attention to it. If you carefully observe the emergence, history and development of folk games, you will notice that the games themselves did not arise out of nowhere; they were inspired by real events - everyday and cultural-historical ones. “Chest with Games” is a chest with equipment for games, painted in Russian artistic traditions. Sports go well with intellectual ones!

Classification of games of the ancient Slavs

Let's look at typical folk games. Children can still play each of these games today. They are simple, understandable and do not require specific skills, special training or any equipment, except for the simplest. Children's games are full of laughter, joy and movement.

Folk games can be divided into several types - with the caveat that this division is very arbitrary:

• games reflecting the relationship between man and nature;
• games that reflect the daily activities and life of our ancestors;
• games based on religious and cult motives;
• games for resourcefulness, speed and coordination;
• games of strength and dexterity;
• war games.

It is natural that this connection is reflected in the culture, customs, traditions and holidays of the Slavic peoples. Children, in their desire to imitate adults in their activities, did the same in a playful way. This is how games emerged that reflect man’s relationship with nature. In many of them, forest predators - bear, wolf, fox - are the main characters. For example, “Wolves in the Ditch”, “Wolves and Sheep”, “Limping Fox”, “Bear and the Leader”.

Hunting, fishing, crafts, everyday scenes and much more, which constituted the daily activities of people in the old days, have survived to this day in numerous reflection games. Looking at them, it is not at all difficult to imagine what and how our ancestors lived. Gaming equipment for Russian games can be found in abundance in any home. Examples of such games: “Boyars”, “Net”, “Fishing Rod”, “Birder”.

Religious and cult motives are clearly visible in folk entertainment. Mermen, mermaids, brownies, sorcerers, and evil spirits appear not only in fairy tales and rituals, but also in the plots of games. Childhood is characterized by a special worldview that makes games on similar topics lively and vibrant. These are “Vodyanoy”, “Devils in Hell”, “Grandfather the Horn” (“Wizards”).

Running, jumping and other manifestations of motor activity are characteristic of children, but they become especially attractive when they are framed as a game. Excitement, game enthusiasm, elements of rivalry and competition - these are the main components of Slavic folk games for resourcefulness, speed and coordination. For example, “Burners”, “Pile”, “12 sticks”, “Blind Man’s Bluff”.

The strong and dexterous have been respected at all times and in any society. A game is an activity in which children could demonstrate their best qualities to their peers. Examples of such games: “Leapfrog”, “Arc”, “Cockfight”.

Military themes could not help but enter children's games. Over their long history, war games have not undergone any significant changes and have come down to us in almost their original form.

In its most general form, the game of war is a competition between two teams, in which folk tradition determines the acceptable means and methods of confrontation and the conditions for recognizing the winners.

In Rus', war games have long been the favorite pastime of most boys. These are “Fist Fight”, “Snowballs”, “Stick Fight”, “Cossack Robbers”, “Capture of the Fortress”.

Not all children today play folk games; there are plenty of other entertainments. Many people simply don't know what it is. But not to lose folk traditions, to preserve original games for future generations is one of the main goals of our culture, because it was through games that our ancestors raised strong, dexterous, wise and brave people.

Natalya Safarova,

Anastasia Savelyeva,

Alina Kostyleva,

teachers of school No. 141, Moscow

1. Introduction to the concept of “Slavic games”. Historical reference.

Teacher. It is unlikely that we have ever seriously thought about who and when made the first snowball, who came up with the idea of ​​sledding down a hill; or how old are the “Cossack robbers”. These games have lived with us since childhood and were taken for granted by us. But almost all active children’s games have their own history, which is closely intertwined with the history of our country, we just don’t pay attention to it. If you take a closer look at the emergence, history and development of folk games, you will notice that the games themselves did not arise out of nowhere, but real events, both everyday and cultural-historical, served as prototypes for them.

Already at the early stage of paganism during the formation of the Eastern Slavic tribes in the 4th - 7th centuries AD. e. there were folk games where tribes and clans met. Deifying the Sun, thunder, lightning, rivers, fire, stones, the Slavs worshiped them. At the games, the Slavs had fun and performed rituals to appease nature. These rituals were accompanied by games, round dances, dancing, singing and spells. The games were timed to coincide with pagan calendar holidays: Semik - a holiday associated with spring agricultural work - sowing; harvesting - the end of the harvest, harvesting; tausen - New Year, etc.

2. Components of games in Rus'.

Teacher. Games in Rus' began with barkers.The gameplay itself is unthinkable without prelude. Pre-game barkers, as a method of gathering participants for a future joint game with the help of a special chant, have a long tradition. The barkers were used as a starting point, calling on potential participants to the game: Siskin-fawn sparrow, Jumping along the street, Girls gathering to play and dance, to show themselves….
Or: Tai-tai, come on! Who plays blind man's buff (hide and seek, tag, etc.)? The call to play was accompanied by jumping in place or in a circle, and the one who pronounced them had to extend his hand forward with his thumb bent. Those who wanted to play had to grab the barker's finger with their fist and, in turn, bend their thumb. All this time, the barker pronounced a sentence indicating the name of the game. When a sufficient number of players were recruited, the barker finished the set: Tai-tai, fly in! Don't accept anyone!

Question: What kind of barkers do you know?

Since most games require a driver, the barker was often used at the same time to determine it: The last one to drive! In cases where the barker did not identify the driver or there was no driver in the game itself (for example, in team games), a lot or counting was used. Counting books Counting books are short rhymed verses used to determine the driver or to distribute roles in the game:
One, two, three, four, five, Six, seven, eight, nine, ten The red month has come out And behind it is the moon, lead one. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten The king decided to hang me, but the queen did not give it and hanged the king.

The counting table is an integral part of children's play at all times - “a mechanism for random distribution of roles.”

The barkers and lots are played.

3. teacher. Before starting the game, we need to pass a test to see if you are worthy of being in that historical time, we will prove this with your knowledge. Test - in Ancient Rus', hitting the target with darts, knives, snowballs was considered an important skill. You also have to try to hit the target. Have you noticed our target, there are numbers with tasks, the closer you get to the target, an easy task awaits you on the history of Kievan Rus. The further you go, the more difficult it becomes. We have already chosen the first one ready to go to the test.

4. Test of knowledge (application).

5. Teacher. M Folk games can be divided into several types:
games reflecting the relationship between man and Nature
games reflecting the daily activities and life of our ancestors
games based on religious and cult motives
games for resourcefulness, speed and coordination
games of strength and dexterity
war games.

Let us note that this division is very arbitrary and does not set itself the goal of necessarily driving all games into a certain classification framework. It is quite possible that some of the folk games presented below will fit into several categories at once.

6. Folk games reflecting the daily activities of our ancestors.

Question . What were the main types of occupations of the ancient Slavs?

Hunting, fishing, crafts, everyday scenes and much more that constituted the daily activities of people in the old days have survived to this day in numerous reflection games. Looking at them, it is not at all difficult to imagine what and how our ancestors lived. As an example below
The peculiar dialogue-sentences in games could be quite long and funny. Moreover, it was not forbidden to change the phrases in them during the game. On the contrary, it added interest and liveliness to the game.
Game "Fishing Rod"

7. Games based on religious and cult motives

Question. What was the name of the religion of the ancient Slavs before the adoption of Christianity? What gods existed? Who guarded the home? What fairy tale characters existed?

Similar motives can be clearly seen in folk entertainment. Mermen, mermaids, brownies, sorcerers, and evil spirits appear not only in fairy tales and rituals, but also appear in the plots of games. In general, childhood is characterized by a certain unique worldview that makes games on similar topics lively and vibrant.

Game "Water"

8.Games for strength and dexterity

The strong and dexterous have been respected at all times and in any society. A game is an activity in which children could demonstrate these qualities to their peers.

Game "Malechina-Kolechina"

"Arc", "Turnip"

9. War games

Military themes, of course, could not help but enter children's games. Over their long history, war games have not undergone any major modifications, and have come down to us in almost their original form. In its most general form, the game of war is a competition between two teams, in which folk tradition determines the acceptable means and methods of confrontation and the conditions for recognizing the winners.
In Rus', war games have long been the favorite pastime of most boys.

Game "Cockfight"

10. Round dance.

Dance is a special type of folk art. It is impossible to count how many different dances and dances existed in Rus' and still exist in modern Russia. They have a wide variety of names: sometimes by the song to which they dance ("Kamarinskaya", "Seni"), sometimes by the number of dancers ("Steam", "Four"), sometimes the name determines the picture of the dance ("Pleten", "Vorotsa" ). But in all these very different dances there is something in common, characteristic of Russian folk dance in general: this is a breadth of movement, prowess, special cheerfulness, poetry, a combination of modesty and simplicity with a great sense of self-esteem.R Russian round dances seem to be as ancient as our life. Whether our ancestors lived at home, they were engaged in games, dances, round dances; Whether they were at the massacre, they sang of their homeland in their epics. From Vladimir's merry feasts, songs spread throughout Rus' and passed from generation to generation. The history of round dances lies in legends; and all our folk legends speak of the past as of the present time, without indicating days and years; they say what our fathers and grandfathers did, without mentioning either the place of action or the persons themselves.

The original meaning of the round dance seems to be lost forever. We do not have any sources directly pointing to its appearance in Russian soil, and therefore all assumptions remain insignificant. The round dance is known to all tribes and principalities.The Lithuanian-Russian round dance was renamedkorogod. Bohemians, Croats, Carpatho-Russians, Morlaks, Dalmatians turned him intokolo - circle. The Slavic kolo was also accompanied by songs, dances and games, just like the Russian round dance.

"Round dance game"

11. All Slavic games ended with dances and dances. Dance-competitions, dance-wrestling, dance-choosing the bride. The “Barynya” dance is a competition between young men for a bride. In the dance they must show their prowess, skill and attract the girl’s attention. But under no circumstances should you touch the girl or your opponent, you shouldn’t push him away.

But invariably in the spring and summer the games ended with a game of“Rucheek” is a game of unity, friendship and trust.