Searching through memory

(VHQN) - Nearly 50 years ago, Hoi An didn't have the diverse forms of entertainment it has today. Outside of school hours, children would huddle together in groups, playing games taught by older siblings and passed down from generation to generation.

In smaller groups, they play the game "Planting Trees," where players place their fists alternately, stacking them higher and higher. They all chant aloud: " Plant a coconut tree / Leave the plum tree / The winter melon tree / The chrysanthemum tree / Which hand goes in / Which hand goes out ."

Following the rhythm of each word, the leader takes turns pointing their finger at each player's fist. If the finger touches someone's fist on the last word, that person must withdraw their fist. The game continues until only one fist remains; the player with the last fist remaining wins.

In other villages, the children would play the same game and recite the nursery rhyme: "Snipe the mackerel / Pin the carp / Which hand is pretty / Goes to pick corn / Which hand is big / Goes to gather firewood / Which hand is small / Picks black beans / Cinderella's hand / Goes home to wash."

The girls' group often played the game "Banh Ne" (Ball with Sticks). The word "ne" here might be a mispronunciation of a local word. This game uses 10 bamboo chopsticks as tokens and a ball, which could be a small plastic ball, a table tennis ball, or a rubber ball (with elasticity). The rules are: the first player tosses the ball to bounce on the floor, quickly picks up a chopstick, and catches the ball. Once all the chopsticks are collected, the game switches to passing.

While passing the ball, recite: “Pass to hand, pass to hand/ Pass to hand, pass to hand/ Pass 1 - 1 pair/ Pass 2 - 2 pairs/ Pass 3 - 3 pairs/ Pass 4 - 4 pairs/ Pass 5 - 5 pairs/ Pass up/ Pass down/ Slightly open the leg/ Swell the foot/ Bend the leg/ Move the thigh/ Move the meat back/ Close the foot/ Win one round of the open game/ Go back and forth for the first time ”, at this point the player wins. If a mistake occurs during the game, the game is passed to another player.

In large gatherings, there was the game "Dragon and Snake," which had many different versions everywhere. Back then, in my neighborhood, we used to play it with two people holding hands and raising them above their heads to create a trap.

The remaining people, holding onto each other's clothes, walked one after another through the trap, reciting as they went: " Dung dang dung de/ Taking children out to play/ To the gate of heaven/ Bowing to uncle and aunt/ Let the child go back to the countryside/ Let the goat go to school/ Let the toad stay at home/ Let the chicken scratch the kitchen/ Take sticky rice to cook/ And bow again and again ." At the last word, the other two would lower their hands like the trap snapping shut; whoever was caught would take over the role of the trap-maker.

During this same game, we would occasionally recite another nursery rhyme: " Heaven and hell on two sides / The wise are foolish / The foolish are wise / At night, remember Buddha Shakyamuni / Until when you are near death / You will go to heaven ."

I'll never forget these nursery rhymes, because the Buddhist children recited them one way, but the Catholic group read the fourth line as: "At night I lie down and remember God and my Father," causing a huge argument. Then, to mediate, the non-Catholic children suggested changing it to: "At night I lie down and remember my Mother and Father," so that all three sides would be satisfied.

“ Smoothing the seeds to make popcorn / Pouring the batter for pancakes / The heron's cry of the night heron / A copper pot with a crooked lid / The tailor's scissors / The plow for farming / The hoe for building embankments / The fish trap / The slingshot for shooting birds / The needle for sewing clothes / The spear for hunting / The headscarf / The trading stick / The cake mold / The tea cup / The wine bottle .”

In my neighborhood, the game "Clapping," also known as "Scratching the Exploding Seeds" in some places, is a game for two people sitting opposite each other, taking turns clapping their hands together to create a clapping sound, while reciting a nursery rhyme. Sometimes they mispronounce words or clap too much, then they fall to the ground laughing loudly.

Now that I've passed the peak of my life, I search my memory for the faces of people from those old games. Many of my friends have wandered off into some misty land somewhere...

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