Traditional Sports of Pakistan - it's not only cricket
Traditional sports played in Pakistan - Kabaddi, Patang Bazi, Rassa Kashi, Yanda and Malakhra
Pakistan, with its exotic and rich culture, has a concoction of whimsical stories to tell. From its tantalising street food to its enthralling sights and sounds, each page of its cultural story is filled with captivating colours and rich traditions.
Traditional Pakistani sports paint a similar picture of energy, joy, and cultural richness. Also, these sports are not played purely for the sake of tradition; they are conducive to physical health and fitness of the locals as well.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is somewhat similar to wrestling but is truly a unique sport and quite often you have mud as your arena! The fun part is the breathless chanting of Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi… as a wrestler enters the territory of the rival. This chanting goes on until the raider is successful in tagging the defender and going back to his court as he tags the opponent.
Sounds fun, right? Looks like a playful twist between wrestling and tagging. But the players have to eat a lot of healthy food, including milk and butter, to get the right body type and strength for the game. Kabaddi is real-time cardio and a test of your stamina, so you’ve to keep your fitness levels extremely high to perform well at this game.
Patang Bazi
Patang Bazi
In simpler words, Patang Bazi is kite flying. You need to concentrate on all your senses to cut off your competitor’s kite. Unlike other sports in which you need to gain a lot of muscle bulk and stamina, this one doesn’t demand much except for the fact that you are expected to be able to run after your kite or your competitor’s kite.
Unlike kite flying in other parts of the world, the natives of this land take this sport extremely seriously with their ever-raging enthusiasm. If you ever visit the country, you will even see kids flying kites made of used polyurethane bags and straws.
However, this sport once celebrated every spring at housetops in urban areas has now been banned from built-up areas because the strings caused many deaths. But you can still see the game played and celebrated in the countryside and areas outside of town.
Rassa Kashi
Rassa Kashi involves two teams strangling and pulling a rope on their sides. The team who gets the rope pulled wins. The game is played mostly in the Summer season on a dry ground having a smooth surface. You may well know this game as ‘Tug of War’.
Locals who play these sports as a part of their routine gain a lot of agility in the muscles, especially in the limbs. Moreover, as you practice games, you learn how to keep your body balanced and how to use your core strength the right way.
Yanda
Popular in the tribes located in the northern region of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Yandi is a sport that requires high stamina. Only men who are capable of running fast are selected in teams. The game revolves around trying to chase the opponent till he is pinned down.
In the tribes, people arrange tournaments that call for a large gathering accompanied by music and dance. The entertainment boosts to a high degree when the game prolongs, and it becomes hard for the running player to pin down his opponent. Men train themselves for months, even years to play this sport and therefore it’s not for the weak of heart.
Malakhra
This sport belongs to the southern part of the country, Sindh. It’s a similar sport to Kabaddi, with the difference that there is no tagging or chanting involved. It’s more like a game of sumo wrestling and requires two wrestlers gripping on the opponent’s cloth tied around his waist.
A lot many innovators have tried combining the sport with Kabaddi, but serious players still follow the roots and regional differences that are brought to each game. While Kabaddi is well famous in Gujranwala, the City of Wrestlers, Malakhra remains to preserve its true essence in the Sindh Province. But just like Kabaddi, Malakhra requires a lot of stamina and a properly built body size to be eligible for the game.
Final Word on traditional Pakistani Sports
Every region in the country has traditional sports that are played and celebrated among locals. You, too, can witness the glorious culture of Pakistan by watching these vibrant traditional Pakistani sports.
Whatever might be the sport, all have one factor in common: people’s endless enthusiasm.
