Elements
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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000416 Country Kyrgyzstan ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events Address All regions of KyrgyzstanYear of Designation 2008
| Description | ‘Arkan tartysh’ is one of the most ancient Kyrgyz games. The game is played by both women and men on flat area. All participants must be the same in strength and the age. Players split into two even groups and each group tries to overpower the other. The rope is short, about 4-5 meters long with knots at each end. Only the front players in each team hold the rope. The other players hold one another by the waste. Players must keep their line-up and pull the opposing side across the central line. The team that crosses the line loses. In some regions, tug of war is also played one-on-one. |
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| Social and cultural significance | ‘Arkan tartysh’ is a fascinating and exciting spectacle, without which no national holiday, folk festival or celebration can do. Participants need to have a high level of overall strength, endurance, good coordination, a sense of rhythm and timing, psychological stability, a high level of motivation and concentration of all physical and spiritual forces. The game helps to strengthen solidarity and friendship between people, confirms the importance of applying group efforts to achieve results in any affair. ‘Arkan tartysh’ serves to strengthen the unity and a sense of identity among community members through the collective participation of both sexes and people of all ages. Since children also participate in the game along with adults, this establishes the feeling of equality among all members of the community. |
| Transmission method | Traditional knowledge concerning the element has been mainly transmitted in a natural way through demonstration. They are also transmitted to the players through participation in festive and social events. |
| Community | Wide community of people. Public Association "Tug-of-War Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic" |