Some Traditional Games from Roumania

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

FOR THE PAST several years (since I940, to be exact) I have been collecting materials for a book of non-singing games. When completed, it will consist of a hundred or more American games and a large section of foreign parallels and analogues and comparative notes. As a contribution to the latter, a collection of fifteen traditional Roumanian games was sent me recently by Miss Valerica Osoianu, a student in the University of Iasi, who very kindly consented to their publication in a folklore journal in advance of their appearance in my book. Since American folklorists are, I think, not too well acquainted with Roumanian folklore, it occurred to me that the printing of these games in the Journal might help to interest others in the wealth of tradition in that littleknown but highly interesting country. Accordingly, I present them here, with the consent and approval of the contributor. That these games are traditional is attested not only by Miss Osoianu but also by older members of her family. They were played by her, by her parents, by her grandparents, and by her great-grandparents; some of them appear to go back to the very beginnings of the Roumanian people. The English translations were made by Mr. Stephen Siklody, the father of Miss Osoianu's brother-in-law, and a man of intelligence and discrimination. Most of the notes which accompanied the game descriptions are his. I have quoted liberally from the comments of both the contributor and the translator in order to preserve the national flavor of the games.