What interesting traditional sports do Tajiks have?

Guaboqi is Tajik, which means polo. This is an ancient and traditional ball game for Tajiks.

Polo is one of the oldest sports in the world today. Polo activities in China appeared as early as the Han Dynasty, which was called "clapping" in the literature. Today, polo is still popular in the west and India, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and other countries, and polo has also been included in the Olympic Games.

Tajik polo has a long history. In the past, the Polo Tide in Shitou Town in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County recorded that Tajiks had the habit of playing polo long ago. 1In September, 974, the 20th anniversary polo match was held in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County on Pamirs.

Polo, which is deeply loved by Tajiks, has two forms. One is made of wood, which is made of the roots of a local shrub (called "Tuohe" in Tajik). This kind of rhizome is round with a diameter of more than 20 cm. After processing, it can be cut into a circle with a knife and become a polo with a diameter of about 17 ~ 18 cm. This kind of ball is relatively strong and generally cannot be broken; Another kind of ball is made of felt, in which several pieces of felt and rags are put, and some dried sheep dung eggs are put in the middle to enhance its elasticity. This kind of ball is about 20 cm in diameter, which is slightly larger than the wooden ball.

There are two kinds of polo sticks, generally about one meter long and about 10 cm in diameter. One form, the upper end is round, the lower end is flat, and the grip is thin; The other form is a flat polo wooden pole with a protruding part at the lower end, which is J-shaped, and the holding place is smooth and thin.

Tajik polo players don't have special clothes, but they wear colorful headscarves to show their differences. If one party wears a red scarf and the other party wears a white scarf. Because Tajiks believe that red and white are auspicious colors, white represents purity and loftiness, and red represents auspiciousness and celebration. Therefore, there are also Tajik characteristics to distinguish players.

Polo stadium is generally180m long and 90m wide (some are smaller than this), and there is a straight line in the middle to distinguish the two camps. There is no uniform regulation on the number of athletes on both sides of the competition, which is generally 6 ~ 12 for each team. Each team represents a family or a tribe. There are forwards, defenders, goalkeepers and other positions, among which goalkeepers are all holding sticks. Generally, the game time is half an hour per game, divided into two games.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the timer used in polo matches is dripping water from an ancient wooden bowl. When the number of participants is large, there are generally four referees, two referees and two referees. When the number of participants is small, there are two referees, one is the referee and the other is the referee. The referee has a mark on his body, which is usually hung with a piece of cloth. The referee can ride a horse and move the ruling on the court. There is no net where the two sides score goals, but a pit about 50 cm in diameter and 50 cm in depth. Winning is hitting the ball into the opponent's hole in the game.

The Tajik polo competition also stipulates that riding horses, hitting people or dragging people with clubs are not allowed in the competition. If you commit three fouls, you will be sent off, and you can change players during the game.