traditional game

TRADITIONAL GAME  IN MALAYSIA

One of the pleasures of visiting villages in the rural areas of Malaysia is to watch the playing of traditional games. It is even better to participate in one of the games. Some of the simpler games played by children come from nature, such as using red saga seeds as marbles, catching a wild spider to pit it against another spider, walking on “stilts” made of coconut shells, and using rubber seeds as conkers. Here I want to talk about top spinning. Top spinning one of the famous game in Malaysia. I had experienced in played gasing. My friend was teach me to play it. It quite difficult in the first time. But when you know how to play it you will feel very interesting.  

TOP SPINNING 

Gasing or tops spinning, is a traditonal games popular among Malay (Native people). Especially amongst the villagers in the State of Kelantan and Terengganu. Each season after the rice harvest,several villagers will come together to challenge each other in an ultimate test of skill. The villagers believed that the spinning tops would help bring good harvest.Top spinning draws excited yells and shouts from both spectators and players. Strength, skill and physical dexterity are needed to launch a top, which is as big as a Frisbees and weighing as much as five kilogrames. Tops are normally of two popular designs. The gasing jantung is heart-shaped while the gasing uri is flattened in shape. There are two types of competitions are endurance and knockout. In the endurance competition, the gasing uri is launched and, once spinning, it is scooped up with a small wooden paddle. It is then transferred onto a small post and allowed to spin. The winner is the top which spins the longest. Sometimes it can spin for two hours. In a knockout competition, a player tries to knock another player’s spinning top outside a circle using his own top. The ropes used for launching a top are different for each of its function. To maximize its spin, the rope is usually long and thin  while a top used for striking is usually spun using a thick and short rope. The execution of a launch by a master top spinner is done in fluid but powerful movements. Tops are usually made of the merbau and afzella trees, and top-making requires great skill. Top-spinning competitions are often organised on a state, national and international level. Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan are among the keen participants in top-spinning competitions.

Nina Syakina bt Md Tajudin

2011615052

HM1113A1