Tug－of－war － the game， I mean. We all know what that is. It′s a classic birthday
party game for kids... AND not limited to children.
Yes， where you line people up in two groups... on opposite ends of the rope... find a spot
on the ground to mark as the middle... and off you go. The goal is for one team to pull
the other over the mark on the ground. Well， in Asia... more specifically in Korea，
tug－of－war isn′t just a game... For centuries it′s been practiced as a ritual
to pray for abundant harvest and boost solidarity in rice－farming communities.
That tugging ritual has earned UNESCO′s recognition as an intangible cultural heritage
of humanity. Juldarigi， as known in Korean： our News
Feature tonight. Tug－of－War， also known as ′juldarigi′
in Korean， has long been a favorite folk game in the country.
The game basically consists of two teams of people pulling a rope from opposite sides...
and the team that pulls harder wins. On December 2nd， the United Nations Educational，
Scientific and Cultural Organization， or UNESCO， recognized these ′tugging rituals
and games′ as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The organization says the Tug－of－War tradition， practiced in East Asia and Southeast Asia
to pray for abundant harvest， promotes harmony and solidarity of rice－farming communities.
″UNESCO deals with the world′s cultures. It was actually my dream to make this regional
culture known to the world. The idea alone makes me happy. It′s indescribable.″
The listing was a joint effort by four nations... the team led by Korea and joined by the Philippines，
Cambodia， and Vietnam. Few rules might differ depending on the country′s
environmental conditions like climate， but the essence is that villagers cooperate in
the agricultural ritual and enjoy， regardless of who wins.
″Joint listings are recommended by UNESCO. These listings are considered valuable because
intangible heritage is often shared across borders.. and the process of preparation itself
promotes communication between cultures.″ Historical records of Korea′s tugging games
and rituals date back to the 15th century. It was usually played on the 15th day of the
Lunar New Year，... which would fall in spring in terms of seasons，... and brought the
people together to mark the beginning of a new agricultural cycle.
It was believed that the winning team would have good harvest that year.
The culture spread across the nation， represented by six versions of different regions... all
of which got their place on the UNESCO list this month.
Of the six regions， the Gijisi Village of the city of Dangjin boasts the longest history.
″For 5－hundred years， Gijisi Village has made a long straw rope every time a disaster
hit， or something bad happened. It started out from the legend that the village will
find peace if
a lot of people pull a
rope together.″ From the mid 16th century， village people
would overcome hardships by
tugging
the rope together..