Saturday, May 19, 2007
A TRULY PINOY GAME: PIKO
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Incidentally, do you remember how this game is played?
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Labels: Pinoy games
posted by Señor Enrique at 9:09 AM
32 Comments:
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Photo Cache said... aahh the joys of childhood expertly captured in this photograph. fyi, i was good at this. did boys ever play piko? cant remember seeing any of my boy neighbors who did. btw, happy weekend.
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said... I wasn't very good at playing 'piko. 'Luksong tinik' was more of my game then.
But I also played 'tumba preso' - a game more apt for boys. I had no choice, as my regular playmate then was my Kuya, two years older than me. Nanay would entrust me to his care. Naturally, Kuya's playmates were mostly boys, so I played their games too instead of 'getting bored to tears by the sideline'. :)-
said...
Ang galing ah. naaalala ko tuloy kabataan ko. ahehehhee
pwede po link exchange ng blog?-
said...
hehehe.. ako rin..naalala ko tuloy noong mga bata pa ako.. yung walang saplot na tumatakbo.. naglalaro ng sipa, trumpo, patentero, atbp...
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Sidney said...
Such a joyful image!
Sorry, I got no time to send you an email yet. Will try this weekend...-
said...
Oh, this image brings back good memories of childhood. Like rhodora, I wasn't really so adept at this game when I was little that it was a real challenge for me to outdo those other kids who amazingly could jump much higher than me...But I wasn't really good at it; yet I enjoyed it so much then.
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said...
Piko was one of my favorite childhood games. It's great to know that kids play it until now. With patintero, agawan-base, luksong tinik, etc., they're definitely healthier than what a lot of kids do just now which is to just sit at home and play computer games.
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Señor Enrique said...
I played piko, Photo Cache, because I didn't want to be just sitting around watching others play :) But the girls in my gang of playmates usually won in this game.
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Señor Enrique said...
Ayayay, Rhoda!
My brothers Taba and Pepsi, though quite amiable kids then, would somehow develop mean streaks whenever the moon was full. They would only allow others to play "tumbang preso" if they agreed to play with larger than pang-hilod stones to knock off the can. They played it to the extreme that at times the "taya" would end up with a bloody hand from getting hit by their stones.
It was only when my father came home early from the office one afternoon and caught them. A directive was issued -- "only rubber slippers would be used to topple the can or else."
Hehehe!-
Señor Enrique said...
Thanks, Lawrence!
Sure ... I'll add your site to my del.icio.us list :)-
Señor Enrique said...
All those games, Rhodyl, made a fun-filled summer!
Did you play "jolens," too? And tex? Hehehe.-
Señor Enrique said...
I got this image walking back from Intramuros last Wednesday, Sidney.
Don't worry, just send it whenever you can. You have to enjoy the weekend, too :)-
Señor Enrique said...
I was the same, Major Tom, because I played it more to have fun than win. However, I was the champ when it came to limbo rock ... hahaha!
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Señor Enrique said...
You are so correct on that observation, Toe! Obesity seems to be a growing problem with our local kids, and most authorities blame television and computer games as major contributing problems.
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sheilamarie said...
eric, no one ever taught me how to play piko. what i do remember playing (and i loved it!) was pantentero. and habulan base (i don't remember the exact name anymore).
during my younger years, i always felt like i had wings on my feet. i loved games that involves running =) ngayun maglakad lang ng konti, hinihingal na. hehe...-
-= dave =- said...
I didn't play piko (or whatever it's called in Bicol), but I do know the rules for other similar games (Step-No, Dress, Flag, Flower) that I could be the sports commentator. I also developed mini versions that involved the use of fingers instead of feet.
My favorite game was Taguan (I'm so good I could hide in plain sight). I also enjoy running games. I think Sheilamarie meant Agawan Base. I like its one-base variant which we call Insiriktus because it involves some hiding and a fair amount of strategy.-
Señor Enrique said...
Patintero I could play all afternoon, Sheilamarie ... I loved it!
Naku, lalo na ako; baka ilang hakbang pa lamang kakailanganin ko na tubig at pamaypay ... hahaha!-
Señor Enrique said...
Hahaha ... I love it, Dave! A sports commentator at kids' play :)
There's so many games we enjoyed as kids, but I sometimes forget some of them; I had to ask my sister who is only a year older but whose memory remains sharp as ever.-
Amadeo said...
Eric:
Here are the basic rules of the game from this site.
I have seen some variations but as explained below, that is how it is played in the Visayas and Mindanao. And sorry, it may not be truly Pilipino in origin.
8. PIKO
Piko is a game that joins all children of the world together wherever they live, whenever they lived. Piko is unbelievably old. When ancient Roman cities were dug up, drawings of hopscotch lines were found on the stone floors. Everywhere it is played for one aim: to win a place to call one's own. In the Philippines, the game is also known as kipkip, pikuba, laban ang segking.
PLAYING COURT
Stone floor drawn with chalk, charcoal
On the ground-drawn with a sharp stick (in this event, masking tape)
5 rectangles arranged vertically, rectangles 3 and 5 are divided equally (3a
and 3b; 5a and 5b): no.6 is a drawing of a half moon.
PLAYING COURT
Pamato (maybe a flat stone, a brick chip, the bottom piece of a clay pot or a smooth
chunk of window glass)
MECHANICS
1. The players stand in front of a rectangle no.1. Each player takes turn in tossing his pamato inside the 4th rectangle's dividing line. The player who tosses his pamato closest to this line gets to play first. This is called manohan.
2. Only hops and skips are allowed using either the left or the right foot. Landing on both feet is only allowed in the area or areas considered as home or "bahay" of a certain player who has earned it after successfully finishing the game. No other player can step on this area.
3. The 1st player tosses his pamato to rectangle no.1. Neither the
player nor the pamato must touch the line otherwise the player losses his turn.
4. The player then tosses his pamato to rectangle no.2, 3a, 3b, 4,5a, 5b and 6.
5. The player then plays the game all over again this time starting from rectangle no. 5.
6. After he has played in the entire rectangle, he tosses the pamato strong enough to pass over rectangle no. 1. Hops passing rectangle no. 5 to 1 then jumps over the pamato.
7. Player picks up the pamato. With his back turned against the rectangular play area, he tosses his pamato towards the direction of the play area. Where the pamato lands, that area becomes his home or bahay.
8. The game starts all over again for the 1st player. The rest continues with the game they have left off.
9. The player with the most number of homes, wins.-
Señor Enrique said...
Many thanks, Amadeo!
I felt like I was playing the game as I read it rules :) Great to reacquaint one's self to one of childhood's popular games!-
Belle TH said...
i played this game a hundred times before. i was flexible then and could lean back with head almost touching the ground.
good shot of the girls, Eric.-
Señor Enrique said...
Come to think of it, I doubt it very much if I could ever stand on one leg these days, bend down, and pick up something from the ground ... hahaha!
Many thanks, Belle!-
Unknown said...
Piko is a favorite game when I was young. We usually use a stick to carve out lines in the soil under a chico tree or if in the garahe--we use a small broken clay pot as "pamato" and as sort of chalk.
Amazing how old it is as Amadeo shared here. Agawan base is usually played after school and really fun with lots of players. The "star" players are the ones who run fast and saves the hostages hehehehe of the other base :)
:) ang saya.-
Señor Enrique said...
Yes, Daisy, I had no idea this game goes back to the Roman era. Unbelievable, huh?
I think one of the reasons for piko's popularity among the kids is because it doesn't require much space and you can play it near the house, which would appease the parents.
Thanks for sharing with us how you played this game when you were young.-
said...
I used to play piko too. And I tell my kids that's what we call hopscotch in the Philippines. Pretty much the same game, isn't it?
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reyd said...
A kid's game that I would rather watch others to play, medyo mahiyain ako nuon bata pa( also, medyo wala akong body coordination). But during my high-school years, nilalaro namin ito with our neighbor that I had a crush with.
But I really love the patintero game more, me pa-chansing-chansing pa ng konti. :D Ahhh.. those were the days my friend.
Reydy-
Señor Enrique said...
I've become too old to keep abreast of children's games; hence, skipping rope is the only one I know in the States. Isn't double-dutch when two ropes are used?
Anyway, I guess, hopscotch would be piko here, Irene :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Hi Reyd!
When I was a kid hindi ka pwede maging mahiyain because you'll end up sitting by the sidelines all the time ... hehehe.
Aha! Pa-chansing-chansing, eh? Hahaha!-
said...
oooh, piko. children of the 80's are lucky since we experienced all these street games :D
the ideal "pato" are the mango or baana peels, since they don't bounce when you throw then and they are heavy enough when it's windy outside :)
when more and more of the bases can't be stepped on anymore, we bargain with "ears", which we draw on the side of the bases. hehe, memories.-
said...
O.M.G!!!u would'nt believe it senor..until now i still played piko w/my pamangkins hahaha..i really love it..whew!!!but sometimes i wish there's no week end coz every weekend as a part of my promise we play PIKO and CHATO...but sad to say i always end up KULELAT..wheww!!!hahaha :D
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Señor Enrique said...
Our "pato" of choice back then, Eye, was a flattened piece from a broken clay pot :)
Yes, this was a game I happened to have enjoyed a lot as a kid.-
Señor Enrique said...
I think that's wonderful, Loveko!
Although at my age, if I make an attempt to play it, I might only cause a severe back pain to myself. Besides, I don't think I can stand on a single leg and slowly lower myself and bend down to pick something up from the ground. That would be torturous for me! Hahaha!
But hey, kulelat or not, that's a wonderful pastime and I'm sure the kids love playing with you!
Good for you!
