Gena
Yegena chewata (Template:Lang-am), alternatively genna (ገና) or qarsa (ቃርሳ),[citation needed] is a traditional field hockey game popular in the Ethiopian highlands.[1]
It is a game played in the space between villages, a field of about 100 yards, but with no defined boundaries.[2] It is played among two teams who attempt to throw a wooden ball in the air and hit it with sticks, the goal being to prevent the opposing team from bring the ball to their village, or score it in your goal.[3][4]
The game is closely associated with Gena, the January 7 celebration of Christmas, from which it gets its name along with another, rugby-like, sport.[5] Historically, Imperial Ethiopian soldiers acquired proficiency in weapon use from their young age by being trained from their childhood with games such as Akandura (Darts) and Gena which figurated combats.
References
- ^ Graham, John (7 September 2001). Ethiopia: Off the Beaten Trail. Addis Ababa: Shama Books. p. 167. ISBN 9781931253116. OCLC 51553876.
- ^ Wolde-Georgis, Tsegay (30 November 2004). Fuller, Linda K. (ed.). Holiday Celebrations among the Highlanders of Ethiopia. West Port, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 92, 99. ISBN 9780275972707. OCLC 547274920.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Lord, Edith (1970). Queen of Sheba's heirs: cultural patterns of Ethiopia. Acropolis Books. p. 53. ISBN 978-0874910117. OCLC 117120.
- ^ Crawley, Michael (4 October 2016). "The two-hour marathon: who is it for?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ Kagwanja, Peter (24 December 2016). "Shield Christmas fete from the perils of capitalist". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
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