“Čirtak” or “Âw Čirtak” (literally “water splash”) is a traditional children’s water game. In Ghazni, it is known as ÂwČitny, while in Jaghori it is called Âwčirtak. The name of the game likely comes from the main tool used to play it.
In this game, children used a piece of straw (ney) from Balararghu. A piece of cloth was tied around the end of the reed, forming a kind of plunger. When the stick was pulled, water entered the reed, and by pushing it back in, the water would shoot out forcefully. When the stick reached the end of the tube and all the water had been expelled, it made a “čirt” sound (Etemadi et al., 2019).
In the Rasak district, this was called Âw Parsak, and the device was made by cutting a partridge reed into two pieces and punching small holes in one end. The tip was then tightly wrapped with cloth to make a pressurised water shooter — similar to a syringe. In Malestan, this tool was called Âw Čirtak Rutk (Yousufi 2019; Najafi 2019).
There is also another way of playing the game: teenage boys would split into two groups, enter a river, and splash water at each other with the palms of their hands. The group that tired first and could no longer continue would be considered to have lost the game (Mehryar 2011).
Sources:
●Etemadi, Owz Ali; Etemadi, Jan Ali; Motaghi, Mohammad Nabi. (2019). Personal interview by Parwin Walizadeh, 29 Saratan 1398 (20 July 2019).
●Mehryar, Hayatullah. (2011). “Outdoor Games.” Blog Yak Nafas Ayina. Retrieved 5 Asad 1396 (27 July 2017). com.blogfa.hayatullahmehryar
●Najafi, Habibullah; Niazi, Mohammad Amin; Yousufi, Ali Zafar. (2019). Online interview by Parwin Walizadeh, 28 Sunbula 1398 (19 September 2019).
Author: Sediqa Hashemi
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