Mangala/Göçürme is a traditional game which can be played on special boards or improvised ones such as pits on the ground. The game can be played with pellets made of stone, wood, metal and bone, nuts, or seeds, which are distributed across the pits; the player who gathers the most pellets wins the game. There are several variations of the game. For example, the board can have two, three, four, six or nine pits arranged in order according to the number of players, and the duration varies according to the number of players.

Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan,Turkey 2020

Shagzo or the traditional art of woodturning is an ancient art that has been passed down for generations. Shagzo is vibrantly practised in Bhutan and the master artisans are known as Shagzopa. Bhutan’s abundant and wide range of woods like tashing (Juglans regia), hashing (Taxus baccata), baashing (Picea spinulosa), tsenden shing (Cupressus corneyana), sermaling shing (Acer camphellii) and etometo (Rhododendron arboretum) have enabled the Bhutanese Shagzopa to create a variety of exquisite functional and decorative products like turned wooden bowls, cups, plates, and containers of various shapes, sizes and colours unique to Bhutan. Skilled wood turners also craft traditional hand drums that are beaten during religious ceremonies. Since Bhutanese tradition is deeply rooted in the teachings of the Buddha, use of drums and drum sticks are a part of the rituals performed everywhere. Used in all religious ceremonies and rituals, the Bhutanese traditional drum known as Nga, and the Nge-tog (drumstick) are indispensable articles found in every temple, monastery and home. An ancient instrument of musical offering, the beatings of the Nga symbolizes the subjugation of evil, indicates the fluctuation of tunes and wordings, and regulates the pace of other instruments during rituals and propitiation ceremonies.

Toguz Korgool is a traditional Kyrgyz board game played with nine small pellets. It is an intellectual game which belongs to the family of mangala games. Back in the day, Kyrgyz people played it without a board. Players would make dents on the ground and use dry sheep droppings as pellets, hence the name. Currently, players use small pellets made out of stone, wood or other material. The game enhances logical and analytical thinking as well as counting skills. That is why this game is often referred to as “herders’ algebra”. One game can last up to 4-5 hours. A player use basic four mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The success in the game depends not only on math skills but also on tactics. Back in the day each pellet symbolized a warrior. The board consist of 9 niches for each player as well as two big niches to collect appropriated pellets. There are 162 pellets. To flag the trump niche players use special signs. Two stones of different shape or color can be used as those signs. The board is divided into two parts, namely, the black (dark) and white (light) sides. Modern boards assign numbers to the niches from 1 to 9 from left to right. In a traditional version, each niche has a name (different regions have their own names for those niches): 1 — tail (kuiruk) 2 — horse wouldn't pass over it (at ötpös) 3 — bad house (jaman ui) 4 — shoulder (daly) 5 — lower back (bel) 6 — white armpit (ak koltuk) 7 — double-toothed (eki tishti) 8 — blue neck (kök moyun) 9 — mouth (ooz)

Kyrgyzstan 2020