Malaysia is a country that is rich in culture as we have diverse ethnic backgrounds with unique customs and beliefs. From festivities, foods, attire, and games, each has its speciality that can only be experienced by true Malaysians while growing up, despite our background.
Traditional Malaysian games are not something uncommon in today's communities as there are still people talking about them when they reminisce about their good childhood days. However, as technology advances over the years, today's generation is more inclined to choose social media and electronic gadgets to pass their time. And it is our role now to ensure these traditional games are staying and not forgotten, and live on to the next generations.
In the high spirit of Merdeka, here are the top 5 most popular Malaysian traditional games that we thought would be fun for you and your family to play together!
1. Congkak
Congkak is a two-player game, with each player sitting in front of one another. The name congkak comes from the Malay word, congak, which means mental arithmetic. And fundamentally, it is how the game works. A traditional congkak board is made of wood in a boat-like shape with beautiful carvings on its sides.
A congkak board consists of 14 small holes (known as "kampung" or villages) and 2 big holes at both ends (known as "rumah" or homes). Each "kampung" is then filled with 7 marbles and each player takes a turn to fill up their "rumah" with as many marbles as possible.
2. Batu Seremban
Batu Seremban is a game involving a set of 5 stones in which a stone is tossed in the air while scrambling to capture all the other stones with the same hand before the stone lands on the ground. Traditionally, actual stones and pebbles were used but due to sharp edges that cause injuries, the stones are replaced with saga seeds, beans, or rice grains sewn in pretty cloth pouches.
Batu Seremban can be played solo to pass the time, but surely it is more fun when you compete with each other as the difficulty increases as the game progresses.
3. Ceper
Ceper is a traditional Malaysian game that uses five steel bottle caps (also known as ceper) and was famous in the late '70s. It is a two-player or more game and starts by placing all five bottle caps on the palm to determine who gets to start the game first.
The bottle caps are then tossed into the air and the player is required to catch as many as they can using the back of their hand. One ceper represents two points and the player with the most number of ceper gets to begin the game. After that, stack up the caps, spin them, and choose one ceper to use as the "shooter". The opponent will then choose one of the leftover caps in the middle and the player will have to hit it with the "shooter" cap they have chosen earlier. If their try is successful, they will get a point.
4. Galah Panjang
Galah Panjang is a traditional game played outdoors in an open space or a court with lines drawn on it. The lines drawn depend on the number of players. Normally, the game is played with two teams with each team having four people. If the game is played by eight people, then three lines are to be drawn. Galah Panjang is a game about the speed and efficiency of each player to run through the opposing team.
5. Guli
Guli is a classic Malaysian game that is played using marbles, typically made of glass. It is a game that is designed to enhance children's eye and hand coordination where they have to aim and hit the other players' marbles in a circle to claim them and win.
Guli is played in a group of no more than 5 persons and the chosen leader gets the chance to draw the circle anywhere they like. Each player will then take turns hitting each other's marbles inside the circle. The game finishes when there are no marbles left in the circle anymore and the winner often gets to keep all the won marbles.
Playing games together with your family helps strengthen the bonds and instils good team spirit. It also teaches your children to learn turn-taking and understanding the concept of winning and losing, as well as enhance problem-solving and social skills.
