Top game

Played in various locations around the world and by guys, Although the origin is uncertain, there is evidence of the their existence in Mesopotamia, dated to 3000 BC (Cordazzo, Vieira and Almeida 2011). Cited in works from Ancient Greece and Rome, the spinning top is displayed in the painting «The Struggle between Carnival and Lent», by the Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel, as one of the games popular for Lent. Its introduction in Portugal is contingent, but it is certain that it is a matter of one of the most popular kids games. There are several variants, such as the Top Game in Gazola or Pião no Nicho (Cabral 1998a, p. 254-5). The variant we describe is referred to by António Cabral as Jogo do Pião (Cabral 1998a, p. 95-6), and is perhaps the most played variant across the country. Played to 2 or more players, where each player has a spinning top and a rope, the object of the game is to throw the spinning top straight to a circle, about 1.5 m in diameter, so that it rolls as long as possible and removing the other tops, moving them to the outside of the circle or forcing them to stop. Once the order of participation has been drawn, each participant wraps the string around the spinning top. so that there is a small piece left, with which you will throw the top to the ground. After all the players toss the top right into the circle for the first time, the participant, or players whose top, or tops, remain in the circle will be “outside”, leaving the top that the other players, one at a time, will try to shoot out of the circle trying to “sting it”. The player who manages to do so will earn 50 points. The top can be “trimmed”, that is, picked up from the ground with the hand, while it spins, and making it turn in your hand. The player who «parred» has after making it dance in the hand, and try to throw again, in an attempt to «sting» the one(s) inside the circle, pushing it(s) out and simultaneously coming out as well, to continue in Game. The tosses are made according to the order drawn and always one at a time, and the The game consists of 3 series of throws, in which each player will have 3 attempts to “sting” the top inside the circle. If the top(s) that are “grounded” do not is(are) hit(s) gets out of punishment being “grounded” the one(s) who have stayed inside the circle. Whoever loses may suffer the punishment of seeing the metallic beak of his top destroyed by the top of the top of the participant who wins the move.