Kyz Kuumai is one of the most ancient and fun games of the Kyrgyz people. Kyrgyz played this game when they married girls, played it in the kitchen, on holidays and joked about it in the crowd. The girl rides at her chosen place. If a man catches up with a girl, she kisses him on the cheek, if not, she whips him on the neck. The pursuit of girls is still widely practiced at folk weddings and holidays.
The epic poem “Manas” also describes the ancient game “kys kuumai”.
The game is played in a camp, the length of which in a straight line is about one or two kilometers. A referee is appointed to conduct the game. The referee set the date of the whistle. Girls must be at least 15-17 years old and participate in Kyz-Kumai in traditional clothes. Horses for riding are pre-cooled and bred. Where the jump begins and ends. A horse that a girl rides has a better chance of taking second place than a horse that a man rides. More precisely, the horse is chosen by the girls themselves.
The judge puts the girl on a horse and leads her to the start of the race. Girls are 20-25 meters ahead of boys. The referee blows the starting whistle. The girls run away. A man is chasing a girl. When a man catches up with a girl, she hits him on the back and kisses him gently. When the girl catches up with the man to the finish line, he turns around and hits her with a whip. It is definitely impossible to beat him. The winner of the game is awarded a fixed prize.
Kyz-kuumai is considered one of the oldest equestrian games of the Kyrgyz people. Scientists studying this game suggest that it is associated with rituals associated with the wedding, and is part of pre-wedding entertainment games. It was usually held on the occasion of an Islamic holiday (Eid al-Fitr, Eid ad Fitr). At the same time, much attention was paid not only to the beautiful and elegant costumes of boys and girls, but also to the magnificent design of horses.
Tasks for men.
When a man caught up with a girl, she had to express her love, usually by kissing him on the cheek. And if they could not catch up with each other, then the girl ran after the man in the opposite direction. Unlike the man, the girls tried to kiss the man, slapped him on the back or even tried to remove his hat from his head. There is evidence in historiography that “girls beat boys and made them bloody.” And, of course, if a girl achieved her goal, it was considered a great insult to a man. At the same time, the young man was fined and was forced to slaughter cattle for the assembled men. Besides, he was losing the right to marry a girl. Interestingly, according to one author, especially brave men not only reached out and kissed the girl, but also managed to catch her by the hair. It is even indicated that “when the race was over, the young man and the girl ran far away with the horse and returned only at midnight.”
Features
“Kyz-Kumai” differs from other games in that it is especially fascinating. The jumps between men and women are watched and sickened by representatives of both sexes of the camps (neurologist, woman and man). All this causes the public a stormy delight. In addition, special attention was paid to the selection of stallions to participate in the races. If a man found a horse that only members of his tribe could ride, then a girl could ask for a horse, if he was in this hotel, and attract a man to her side.
The number of players can vary from two to 20.
It is forbidden to cross the road, stop another person, interfere or whip.
At the beginning of the game, the girls and juniors are called by the judges to the start line. At the starting line, the girls are about 25-30 meters ahead. At a special signal, the girl goes to clap first, and the man begins to catch up with her. If a man catches up with a girl at a distance of 150-200 meters, he can kiss her on the cheek (or touch her back with his hat). If this fails, the man turns around and claps his hands, changing position. Another girl runs after the man and, when he catches up with her, slaps him on the shoulder. If a man cannot catch up with a girl, he loses the right to continue the competition, and the next man on the team takes his place.
