“Lay co" folk game is played at Mau Son Tourism Festival in Lang Son in 2019. (Photo: langson.gov.vn)

“Lay co”, also called “ sai ma”, is similar to the “rock – paper – scissor” gameof Kinh people. However, it is a little bit more complicated as it requires a combinationof mouth, hands and brain. In the game, two people sit face-to-face with eachother and the winner will compete with the other person while the loser will befined by drinking wine.

“Lay co” helps players nurture their patience, and challenges their agility.

According to Vi Hong Nhan, head of the provincial association for traditionalfolk songs preservation and a researcher of Tay and Nung traditional culture,Tay and Nung ethnic minority groups have a wide range of traditional games suchas nem con (con throwing), danh yen (similar to badminton), and day gay (stickpushing), among others. Of which, “lay co” is a unique game that shows off theplayers’ talent.

Along with other intangible heritages, “lay co” has made contributions todiversifying the cultures of Tay and Nung ethnic people.

Nhan said that precise judgment is important in the game. Players can spreadout as many fingers as they like, as long as the number they shout fits with thetotal fingers of the two. Whoever guesses correctly will win the game.

The judgment is made in Tay and Nung languages such as “nhat” is number 1,“nhi” is number 2, “slam” is number 3… If the players have the same result,they should say “thong sinh ma”.

“Lay co” is for men only,women barely play it as players have to drink liquor while playing, said Hoang Van Thanh, a Tay ethnicminority man from Dai Dong commune, Trang Dinh district. “The game makes mereally happy as it brings everybody in the village closer to each other. I wantit to be perserved for the future generations so it will not be forgetten,” hesaid.

Last year, major cultural events in the province,such as the Lang Son Culture, Sports and Tourism Week and the third Chi LangCustard Apple Festival, featured “lay co” as part of the folk game programme.Spring festivals in some districts also organised the game, for example, BungKham Festival in Trang Dinh district and Hai Yen Festival in Cao Loc district.Mau Son tourism festival in Loc Binh district held “lay co” for two years in arow, 2018 and 2019, which was warmly welcomed by people from various ethnic minority communitiessuch as Tay, Nung and Dao. The game seemed to create a special bond betweenplayers, making strangersbecome friends.

“In the coming time, we will conduct a scientificstudy to explore values of the game and then develop a plan for betterpreserving and promoting it,” said Director of the provincial Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Phuc Ha. “Additionally, we are encouragingpeople to continue preserving the original version of the folk game andpracticing it frequently so it will not fade away.”

A new year has arrived, traditional toasts andwitty sounds of people playing “lay co” cannot be absent in every feast of Tayand Nung people. Modern games are becoming more and more popular in today’ssociety but “lay co” is still largely played by Tay and Nung ethnic villagersacross Lang Son.

Traditional culture is a spiritual foundation ofeach nation, region and people so the preservation and promotion of traditionalcustoms and practices like “lay co” is important to the province and Vietnam atlarge./.VNA