Morra (game)
Morra (Italian and Spanish for, even Mora, French: Mourre, Provencal. Mourra sard. Murra ) is a traditional game using the hands, known especially in some Mediterranean countries, especially in Italy. It reminds at first glance the game rock, paper, scissors as well as odd and even.
Learn and play
In the game two players try to guess the sum of the numbers they display with your fingers. To this end, both players stretch their right hand at the same time and show one to five fingers on. At the same moment, each player gets a number 2 to 10
Guesses a player's finger sum, he gets a point. Guess both players the sum, no point is awarded. The game is played until one player has reached an agreed point total ( often 16 or 21). In the normal Italian rules the closed fist also represents the number 1, but there are variations, for example in France, where the zero ( closed fist ) is allowed in this case, the possible sum value between 0 and 10
An important element of the game is the announcement of the numbers. This is done very loud sometimes, almost as if to threaten or intimidate the opponent. The announcement often happens in local forms of the dialect, or with special terms; this polysyllabic numerals are often reduced to monosyllabic. Another factor that makes the game more difficult and requires special concentration is the high speed at which displayed the fingers and the numbers are called. Often, the speed increases as the game progresses.
Morra is often a typical game for men in bars, in which the loser usually has to pay the next beverage. However, it is also played on athletic tournaments. It's common variety is in two teams as Double: when a player has won a point, it switches to the other player of the opposite side. Since there are ways to cheat in the rapid style of play - for example, at the last moment to change the number of fingers, after having heard the enemy's turn - in tournaments is usually a referee present to oversee the rules and the points count.
Morra is not a game of luck, because there are powers of observation and memory for the estimation of the opponent.
History
Fingering were already known in antiquity. Out of Egypt representations have survived, so at a picture in a grave at Thebes. Even Greek representations of a game have survived .. The Greeks played artiasmos, the Romans ludere par impar. In this game, odd and even, had, as the name suggests, to guess whether the finger number is even or odd. This game is similar to the coin toss, still used for triggering (English: odds or evens, Spanish: Pares o nones ).
The Morraspiel in the modern sense was the Roman Empire under the name Micatio or in the verbal form micare digitis ( " twinkle fingers " about: with the fingers fast ) known and widely used. A Roman proverb described with an honorable person: dignus est quicum in tenebris mices ( a person with whom you can play Micatio in the dark).
In literature and in painting the Morraspiel is often mentioned. In Italy, the first written source from the year 1324 from the place Esanatoglia ( province of Macerata), is mentioned in the ludus morrae. In literary works Morra is mentioned, for example, in Rabelais, Goldoni, Manzoni, Verga and Silone.
Dissemination
In Italy Morra is a fairly rare game today. It is promoted by some associations who want to preserve Morra as a tradition. The game was formerly probably widespread throughout Italy, not only among adults but also as child's play. In the Oeconomischen encyclopedia example is this:
In Fascist Italy Morra was banned in 1931 as gambling in public places, as it was used for betting and allegedly led to quarrels and fights. The game was canceled in 2001 in the province of Trentino from the list of prohibited games, the rest of Italy, there is a prohibition on.
Today Morra is still played in several regions in northern and central Italy. It focuses on Trentino, Friuli, some Alpine regions such as mountain valleys in Veneto ( Belluno province, with slightly different rules, Morriña called ), Valtellina, in the province of Brescia, Bergamo Province, Sardinia, in the Marche and Basilicata ( Potenza province ). In France, the game is known in Corsica, as well as in Provence in the area around Nice. In Spain Morra is played in some municipalities of the province of Teruel, Aragon. By Italian emigrants the game was brought to other countries. In Switzerland, the name Tschingg goes back to it.
Related Games
- Rock, Paper, Scissors
- A simple version of the Morraspiels restricts the values on one or two fingers.
- Porrinha - This Related Morra game is known in Brazil; The goal is to guess the sum of lying in the hands of matches.
- There are among the Chinese drinking games ( jiuling ) some are very similar to the rules of Morra. These games were brought to Japan ( Kazu - Ken ), and were forerunners of scissors, paper, stone (Jan - Ken ).