Erabadu blossoms

By Gamini G. Punchihewa

Nuts used for the game of Wala Kaju

Giving it another try

Swinging in the traditional Onchillawa (the swing) is the most spectacular sight that ushers in the dawn of the New Year.

The village boys and girls swing merrily, singing the traditional folk songs like the Onchili-chili-chilla-malai-vella-digata-nellie-kale’ synchronised with the traditional drums played by the elderly women folks, thus conveying the glad tidings of the New year.

Many outdoor and indoor games inherent to the New Year festival had their roots in ancient Lanka from the 3rd century BC to 1st century BC. With the modern fast changing world, of changing customs time honoured traditions, and age-old outdoor and indoor games are also changing fast. Still in some remote corners in the backwoods such ancient games survive.

In villages where cadju trees survived, the dried nuts are used in theWala Kaju game. It is played in the same manner as the Wala Salli game. Here a weighing measure made out of metal (Tharadi gala) was used. The dried cadju nuts were thrown into the hole about 25 in number.

About a few feet away, a line was drawn across, and the nuts were thrown across the line. Then the player was given two chances armed with the measuring weight in his hand, he had to throw it at the cadju nuts to fall into the hole.

The person who collected the highest number of cadju nuts was acclaimed as the winner. It was played in the same way as playing of marbles. Nostalgic memories go back to my childhood and boyhood days spent over 65 years ago, when we were staying in our dear departed mother’s ancestral sea-side verdant village of Welhengoda (off Ahanagma) about 12 miles away from Galle.

My happiest of the happiest days spent in my time was while living in Welhengoda which was filled with many, many fascinations of the countryside and the sea shore like the famed poem ‘Country life is Sweet’. Then I was a mere boy of about 11 years old.

During those joyful bygone days of my boyhood amidst the village boys and my relatives, during the April New Year season, we used to play this Game of Wala Kadju with them. I was one of the winners to bag the highest number of cadju nuts and went home merrily with my pockets filled with those cadju nuts, when my mother made them into cadju beans (after extracting its shells), either to be eaten raw or made into delicious curries.

Among the traditional games, one is popularly called Wala Salli. It is said that when the ancient mariners mostly Arabs, sailing the world over, would have introduced it.In excavations in the past around Tisa Weva in Anuradhapura, circular, discs so discovered are claimed by our past archaeologists to have been used in this Wala Salli outdoor game.

Playing “Egoda godeth raththaran, megoda godeth raththaran..”

In Egypt this game had been termed as Nalab Fill Bora.For the particular game, cup shaped holes were cut on the ground free from any weeds so entwined. About three feet away, from this hole, a line was drawn across it indicating that the disc should not go beyond this marked line. The players should comprise two to three or four.

They stayed about ten feet away from this marked line each of the player in hand (held by the thumb and fore fingers), a disc made out of clay or a ten cent coin. Then he threw this disc into the hole.

The winner would be the one who had collected all the discs pitched in the hole and then put them again into the hole. Then another larger five cent coin was taken and thrown at one of those discs lying around the hole and which was particularly indicated by the other players. If the player succeeded in hitting one of those discs selected by the players, then he collected all those discs in it. If he failed, then his turn was over. Now came the concluding part of this game who was the winner.

The succeeding players took part and started the game in the above prescribed way. In this instance, he would be using the discs that had been won by the first winner.

So this game went on in this manner until all the discs were in the hole in this same manner. The money collected in it went to the winner.

Another ancient game is called Bola Keliya. Past archaeologists in their extensive excavations in the Anuradhapura area (3rd-1st century BC) had found fragments of pottery from the protery strata to make such balls for playing this game of Bola Keliya.

In those epic times, the potters’ children would have collected such debris from the pottery remains to make such balls for playing this game of Bola Keliya, and thereby made them to be used by those players.

H. Parker of the British times in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was not only a proficient Irrigation Officer, but a prolific author of our archaeological and heritage remains.

In his voluminous book, titled ‘Ancient Ceylon’ (1909) he has given first hand information relating to this ancient game of Bola Keliya, thus:-

“Similar articles are used by the children of Ceylon, the spectro being held between the ends of the right hand and propelled by placing the end of the fore-finger of the left hand between them behind the ball and employing it with the left wrist, as a spring whick propels the ball.

This ball is set against the last joint of the forefinger, the back of that hand being turned towards the player and not as in England, between the right hand thumb and the tip of the forefinger of that hand. The game is that in which the players follow up each other’s marbles”.