Chinese Rugby--Fire Cracker Ball
中国式的橄榄球——抢花炮
Fire craker ball is a folk sport game with strong ethnic features and it is popular among the Tungs,the Zhuangs and the Mulaos and so on.It is loved deeply by the most of the minorities and a sport belonging to the heroes.
抢花炮,是流行在侗族、壮族、松佬族等民族中的一项具有浓郁民族特色的民间传统体育活动,深受广大少数民族同胞的欢迎,是一项勇敢者的运动。
It has a firm and strong base in the masses in the border areas in Xiong, E, Yu and Qian provinces.
在湘、鄂、渝、黔等省边境地区有着雄厚的群众基础,数百年来长盛不衰。
The Tung’s Fire Cracker Ball:
侗族人的抢花炮:
Fire cracker ball is played mainly in the third days of the third moon or after the Autumn harvests.
抢花炮,在农历三月三或秋收以后最为踊跃。
In the days of the fire craker ball,all the villagers,men and women,old and young will vie with each other in pouring to the level open space in their holiday best when it dawns.
在抢花炮的日子里,远近侗寨的男女老少,穿上节日的盛装,天刚亮就争先恐后地涌向岩坪,
Some of them go to courage the athletes of their village,some girls go to for their sweethearts but most of the villagers want to enjoy the excitement of the game.
有的是为了给本村寨的花炮选手呼喊助威,有的姑娘却是为了寻找如意郎君,但大多数侗胞还是去看热闹。
The village that is in host of the game would first ask the skillful masters to knit three to five glass-mouth-sized circles with the bamboo strips or rattan.
凡是主持抢花炮的村寨,事先请编织手艺高的人用青细竹蔑或藤条编织三至五个茶杯口大小的圆圈,
Outside the circles are the red piece of cloth wound and tied up firmly with the red and green silk threads.
外面缠以红布,在以红绿丝线扎牢。
When the hosts declare the beginning of the game the red circle would be put on the gun muzzle and then fire it.In this way the red circle would be shot into the air.
主持人宣布抢花炮开始时,将红炮圈放在铁炮的筒口上,然后点上火药放炮,
Then the athletes would vie for the circle and all at once the audience break into deafening cheers.
红炮圈被射上高空中,各村寨的选手争先抢夺,顿时全场欢声雷动。
Sometimes the red circle falls on to the ground, sometimes into the pond or onto the cliffs,the roofs or the branches.
红炮圈有时落地,有时也可能落到水塘里或悬崖上、屋顶上、树枝上。
But where it falls the athletes would do their best to get it.
不论落在哪里,大家总是争先恐后寻找。
When the one gets the red circle,he should send it to the judging platform in the temple in the scrambling for it among the athletes and defeat others all.
谁抢到红炮圈之后,还必须在人人争抢中,“过关斩将”,将其送到庙里的裁判台上才算获胜,
So to grab the first circle would spend about two hours.When the athlete sends the circle to the judging platform,the bells and drums play together all at once in the temple and the gun fires three times to say“the first cracker” finishes successfully.
因此,抢一炮一般都要争夺两个小时左右。当选手把红炮圈送到庙里的裁判台上后,庙里顿时便钟鼓声齐鸣,并鸣炮三响,以表示“头炮”胜利结束。
Then come the second and the third crackers.
接着还要进行二炮、三炮的争抢。
Usually the fire cracker ball game finishes with three crackers but in certain areas they have the fifth and the sixth.After that the bells and the drums play together.In the end they fire the gun three times to say the game finishes.
一般是抢三炮结束比赛,但有的地方抢到五炮、六炮后、钟鼓声齐鸣,鞭炮声不绝,最后放三炮宣告抢花炮活动结束。
The following year’s fire cracker ball will be held in the village,of which the athletes have got the first cracker.
凡是抢得“头炮”者,来年的抢花炮活动便由该村寨主办。
They have got a red-pointed pig and other awards this year and they should prepare these things the next year and this is called to return the “color”.
今年他们得到了一头染红的大肥猪和其他奖品,明年他仍得准备这些奖品,这叫做“还色”。
If one village wins game year after year,it says the village will be harvested year after year and that is a village the girls dream for.
哪个村寨连续抢到花炮者,说明该村寨连年五谷丰登,也是侗家姑娘向往的村寨。