Traditional Theme
Culture of Myanmar

Myanmar Traditional Game

Chinlon
Chinlon is a cane ball composed of wickerwork. Cane or rattan, a wild creeper, which grows in many forests of Myanmar, is a gift of nature, which Myanmar people have been using for various purposes since time immemorial. Strips of cane or rattan are interwoven in bands into a ball of four inches, a little more of less in diameter leaving twelve pentagonal holes. Traditionally playing chinlon was strictly a man’s pastime for exercising the body when the back and limbs got cramped due to long sitting, standing or working/ But since post-war times the fairer gender has broken this masculine monopoly to desplay feminine body elasticity and skill in playing it. Because chinlon is played basically with foot and other parts of the body- head, shoulder, elbow, knee, heel, sole etc except for the hands. There is no goal to shoot in chinlon playing and no fixed number of players needed to play it. The main object of chinlon playing is to keep it as long as possible in the air without touching it with the hand. It may be played by a single individual all by himself or by a team of players in circle, catching the chinlon as it comes round their way and keeping it as long as possible in the air by tossing it up with leg, heel, foot, sole, knee, shoulder, head but not with the hand. For men, chinlon playing provides a good opportunity to show off their masculine physical beauty especially if the body, thighs, hands and chest are well tattooed. It is so nice or even exciting to watch a good player or a team of players in circles, standing on one leg all tactical movements, and spectators applauding when they appreciate skill and stroke of the players. If wind instrumentalists continuously play while the chinlon play is on, and music changes its tempo in using all possible tactics to keep them on or around his or her body. All together 15 styles were registered by the game law according to the movement of chinlon, (1)fall (2) rise (3) give (4)take (5) control (6)toss (7) turn-up (8)coming in (9)going out (10)cornering (11)attack (12)cut (13)support (14)touch the ground and (15)up lift. There are many sizes of chinlon, measurement of circle for team players, terms for postures, styles and tactics and chinlon jargon. Myanmar are football enthusiasts but chinlon is still in their heart.

Kick Boxing
Myanmar has a tradition of kickboxing since Bagan era. The most common and traditional kickboxing venues are temporary rings set up at paya pwe (pagoda festivals) rather than sports arenas. All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Before the match begins, each boxer performs a dance-like ritual in the ring to pay homage to Buddha and to Khun Cho and Khun Tha, the nat whose domain includes Burmese kickboxing. Consisting of drums, cymbals and bamboo clappers perform during the match. The best boxers are from the Ayeyarwady Division, Mandalay Division, Kayin State and Mon State.

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