Author: Sediqa Hashemi
Volume 1, Second Edition
Alaydâd is a children’s game. The word “Alay” means friend or playmate, and “dād” means shout or call. In this game, by shouting “Alaydâd” twice, the phase of the game changes (Mozaffari, 2017).
In this game, participants are divided into two groups, and each group chooses a separate territory hidden from the view of the other. For example, one group may stay inside a courtyard (hawili), and the other outside of it. Then, each group draws small lines or secret signs in hidden and hard-to-guess places: —under stones, on walls, or anywhere else.
When both groups finish marking, one of the players calls out “Alaydâd!”. At that moment, the two groups switch places, and each side tries to find the lines drawn by the other group. When a team finds an opponent’s line, they draw a clear mark over it to show that it has been discovered.
When the players can no longer find more hidden lines, one member of a group shouts “Alaydâd, maidah!” (“Alaydâd is finished/ broken!”), announcing the end of the game. Then they count how many of the opponent’s lines remain undiscovered. The team with the most undiscovered lines is declared the winner (ibid.).
This game is common in certain areas of Uruzgan Province, especially in the village of Bāghchār (ibid.).
Sources:
Mozaffari, Seyyed Abutaleb. Personal interview by Parwin Walizadah. Mashhad, July 25, 2017.
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