My Games and Playthings in Palestine
The thing that I wanted to own after I began to go out-doors was a sling, “mikla," for throwing stones.
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“My Games and Playthings” from When I was a Boy in Palestine by Mousa Kaleel, 1914.
The thing that I wanted to own after I began to go out-doors was a sling, “mikla," for throwing stones. It consists of a woven, palm-like receptacle into which the stone is put. To both ends of this are attached strong cords, and in the end of one of the cords is a loop large enough to slip over a finger. First the boy puts a stone into the “pan" of the sling, and then slips his finger into the loop. Grasping both cords in his hands, he swings the “mikla" violently over his head, just as they throw the hammer in athletic meets in this country. Then he lets one cord loose, and away goes the stone, whizzing like a bullet. By practice a true aim may be developed. You probably remember that David killed Groliath with one of these slings.
Another one of our pastimes was a game played with pegs of wood very much like the American game “Peggy” in which one strikes a double-pointed peg on one end with a stick, and tries to gain ground over an opponent. A similar game is played upon a soft, spongy spot of ground with longer pegs sharpened on one end only. It is something like “Stick-knife." The object is to drive the peg by a throw into the soft space in the ground in such a way as to dislodge an opponent's pegs, previously thrown, and to make your peg stick in the same place. When this is done, a peg is gained.
The boys hoard these pegs to help with the cooking of “Barbara,'' the principal dish served at the feast of Saint Barbara, and named, as you see, in her honor. It is plain boiled wheat sweetened with sugar and mixed with pomegranate seeds. This feast is the first one after Christmas, and it helps to make the winter enjoyable.
The game most enjoyed by us boys was “Alam” which is very similar to the American game of “Roll the bat.'' The boys divide into two even teams. A flip of the coin decides who shall take the field and who shall bat. When the two sides have taken their places, the first player at the bat sets up a stone marker (alam).
He starts the play by saying, “Hadoor," which means “ready," and then begins batting the ball in a series of different ways, first overhand, then underhand, now facing his opponents, now turning his back to them. The last of the series is the one I best remember. In it the player drops the ball and kicks it. The team that takes the field scatters to various points of vantage. If the ball is caught “on the fly," the batter is out, otherwise the first boy to get the ball takes aim at the stone marker, saying “Dustur" (“By your leave"), and makes the throw, trying to upset the stone. If he succeeds, the batter is out, and his side takes the field. This is continued until one team runs up the whole series, and so is victorious.
Another lively game we played was ''Deeb,'' or ''Wolf.” First we formed a circle by joining hands, and played we were the sheep. Then we danced round and round while one boy outside the circle, who called himself “wolf," kept trying to snatch one of the sheep. Whenever a boy in the dancing circle came anywhere near the hovering wolf, he let fly his heels, like a mule, to prevent capture. As sheep after sheep was snatched successfully by the wolf, the circle grew smaller, until but one was left, who had to be the wolf of the next game.
For our most common playgrounds we had the threshing-floors, and often the vineyards and gardens. We played many games of other countries, such as marbles, ”Duck-on-the-rock," “See-saw," swinging, "Blindman's Buff," ''Leap-frog," and “Hide-and-seek.'' A variation of the last named was “Khurrak.” For this game the whole town and surrounding country was our field. The boys were divided into two teams. One team promised to remain at a certain place, usually a door, which would be the goal. The other team went off to hide. When a stated time was up, the guarding team divided itself into parties to look for the other team. The object was to get to the goal without being seen by the guarding team. We usually played the game in the dark, and we did a great deal of running.
One of the games we used to play in the vineyards was to take a cap and hide it under some rock, and then go looking for it. We also used to fly kites. Another game we played often was what we called “Germany." The boys divided into two teams, each taking the end of a rectangular field like a football field. Each team lined up in the middle of the opposite ends of the field. Ten yards from each end was an imaginary line known as the captives' line. When they were ready to play, one boy would run in the direction of his opponents, until he came near the captives' line. Then he was pursued. If he was overtaken and touched, he became a prisoner; if not, one of his side chased his pursuer back. This play was kept up until all of one team were captured.
Some of the modern games, such as football, are played as they are played in England, and the boys of Palestine, who possess a very keen sense of rivalry and competition, are becoming proficient players even at these foreign games. Many times a team of picked Englishmen is forced to taste defeat at the hands of a native team in such games as cricket and football.
Kaleel, Mousa. When I was a Boy in Palestine. Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Co. 1914.
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