Kazakh national games
Kazakh traditional games
Different games were one of the vital parts of the culture and festivals of nomad people from the past. Physical contests are still massively popular in Kazakhstan; from wrestling in a ring to wrestling on horseback and from archery to various forms of horsemanship, all are popular at the annual celebrations. Horse racing and other competitions on horseback are without doubt the top-ranking national sports which is unsurprising given the crucial role of the horse even in the current Kazakh society.
Traditional games are still practiced widely in Kazakhstan, especially during national holidays like the Nauryz during the Persian new year and in 2024 the international Nomad Games were organized in Astana. If your tour is taking place at the time of a national holiday, we will try to incorporate some festivities to your Kazakhstan tour or Central Asia Tour program. Traditional games can also be arranged outside the national holidays per request.
Kazakh Horse Games / Equestrian sports
Kokpar
Kokpar is a popular game within Central Asian countries with various names. Today it even becomes an official sport with its own national federations. In Kazakhstan, Kokpar remains a key part of national identity and is often played during Nauruz celebrations. Kokpar has been played for centuries and is by far the most popular Kazakh traditional game. Two teams take part in the game, with each team including 8-12 players. The playing field is approximately the size of two football fields, with a goat’s carcass used instead of a ball. Players on horseback fight to throw the carcass at the goalpost of their opponents as many times as possible. Opponents pull the carcass from each other and pass it on to teammates.
It is basically football just instead of the ball here is the goat’s carcass and players on the horse.
Audaryspak
Audaryspak is the traditional horseback wrestling. Here two wrestlers fight with each other and the winner is the rider who wrestles his opponent to the ground first. The participants are only adult men, who are physically strong and skillful riders. In the past, a wrestler could represent his clan either village. Audaryspak national sport requires great agility, strength, patience and courage from the athlete.
Bayge
A straightforward race, often involving young boys, is known as bayge (also baiga or baige) and is often raced without a saddle. There are different lenghts of the baiga races from two to 100 kilometers (in the past, nowadays up to 30 km in hippodromes). The longer journes are called tok bayga for 20 km and alaman bayga for a 30 km race.
Children's Games in Kazakhstan
Asyk Atu - bone throwing
Asyk atu is a famous Kazakh national game. The name translates as something like “to beat out or shoot with one’s own asyk”. Asyk is a bone of a sheep’s knee joint and atu translates as shoot. In one version of the game, several asyks are placed at a certain distance, while the players try to hit them by throwing them with other bones. The asyks in the game then become the property of a the winner, making this game kind of a Central Asian version of marbles. Neighboring Kyrgyzstan has a similar game just with a different name. Since 2017, this game has been part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The bones are often painted with different colors to make it easier to recognize the ownership of the bones.
Other National Games in Kazakhstan
Togyzkumalak
Togyzkumalak is another traditional game that in 2020 has been also been part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Humanity, nominated by Kazakhstan along with Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. Togyzkumalak is an intellectual game. Participants of toguzkumalak calculate how many stones are on the boards and what kind of numbers will appear when balls are added to one another. If a player counts wrong, he loses. The rules of the game can be hence difficult, it may take more than five or six hours to complete one game. This game is better known as the Mangala.
Arkan Tartys (Pull the rope)
Arkan Tartys is a popular national game and is often played during national holidays or any other celebrations. Players are divided into two teams of roughly equal strength. The team that pulls their opponents across the line three times in a row are declared the unbeatable winners. The game is very similar to tug of war that is known better in Europe and Northern America.
Kyz Kuu
This fun tradition of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan translates as “catch up with the girl”. Kyz Kuu is held during holidays and festivals, with young girls and boys participating in the game wearing bright national costumes. The game starts when the girl starts riding fast on her horse. A few seconds later, a boy rushes after her, trying to catch her and to get a kiss. If unable to get a kiss by the finishing point, the girl has the right to chase him back to the start, trying to hit him with a whip. Usually, the chase distance in one direction is about 400-500 meters.
Kume alu
“Pick up the coin”, as this name is translated from Kazakh, is a game in which the rider must gather as many coins as possible while riding. The coins are wrapped in small scarves and laid out in a line. The rider who collects the most coins is the winner. This game requires excellent dexterity, balance, and a strong grip whilst hanging down from the horse to scoop up the coins while riding at a fast pace.
Tymak Uryp Zhygu
Tymak Uryp Zhygu is an entertaining game which anyone with a horse and a whip can take part in. In this game, a pole of a little more than two meters high is installed on a platform. A headdress called a tymak is placed atop the pole. Participants take a look at the tymak and are subsequently blindfolded, given a whip, sat on their horses, and spun around several times. The rider then has three attempts to try to knock the tymak off the pole with the whip. If unable to do so, three more attempts can be earned by performing a song or merry dance. This game is most commonly played during the major holidays.
More about Kazakh culture
Page updated 6.11.2024
