Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture...
why is buzkashi seen as zaalim? its just a bunch of herders having some fun with the dead goat before they chop it up for dinner. not like they are torturing an animal.
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture...
Buzkashi is a very inhumane game. Our religion teaches us to treat even the animals with care.
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture...
I wanted to add some things to this thread since I noticed there were some questions and I saw some misconceptions on here. I would like to add a few things:
The first is that the goat used in the game is slaughtered prior to the game and is already dead by the time it is used. It is slaughtered in the halal manner. It is treated humanely and is slaughtered in the same way you would slaughter a goat that would be used for food (except that the goat is not eaten, even after the game is done). It is then soaked in cold water for a few hours to harden it a bit. The other thing I wanted to clear up was that it's the body of the carcass (which has been cleaned and had entrails removed) that is used, not the head.
The riders are called chapandaz. Usually, it takes loads of training and experience to become a chapandaz. Most chapandaz have been practicing for years. Most are around 40 at the very youngest.
There are specific horses used in the game. There are two breeds that are most often used. One kind is called the tartar. These are originally from the northern part of the country and are small but quite strong. The other kind is called habash. These come from the western part of the country on the plains that are on the border with Turkmenistan and are larger than tartars. These are also found in the wild too and you can sometimes see herds of them in the spring. Both of these horses are known for their ability to run at great speeds over an extended period of time. The horses used in buzkashi MUST be males that have not been castrated. The reason for this is that these are thought to have greater strength. They're fed a specific diet mostly of oats, sometimes mixed with raw eggs and butter, that helps them gain strength and helps with endurance.
The people who train the horses are called sayez. Retired chapandaz are called mehtar and also help in training horses sometimes. The horses go through serious training (takes about 5 years on average) and must be well trained to perform specific skills before they are used in a game. The most important of these skills is training the horse to NEVER trample a rider who has fallen off. When the rider falls off, the horse is trained to wait there for the rider to mount it again. I’ve actually seen this and it’s quite remarkable. If its rider falls off, the horse waits there calmly for the rider to mount it again, even with all of the noise and craziness going on around it. Equally important is training them to avoid colliding with other riders. They’re also trained to run at extremely fast speeds as soon as they see the rider grab the goat carcass. Because of the amount of time that goes into training them, horses used for buzkashi are very expensive compared to regular horses.
The OP also asked about the history of the game. According to my grandfather, it dates back 800 years or so and was brought to Afghanistan by Genghis Khan and the Mongols. He also stated that it is not only played in Afghanistan. It's also played by people in the neighbouring regions too but to a lesser extent.
Hope this helps.
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture…
Interesting information :k:
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture…
Thank you. I decided to add it after I noticed there were loads of misconceptions about the game (regarding whether or not the goat is alive when it is used, whether the head or the body is used, etc).
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture...
One thing I like in males is that their sportmanship while competing, it is wonderful to have such spirit like men have, I doubt if there ever can be sportswomanship with so much enthusiasm :)
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture...
One thing I like in males is that their sportmanship while competing, it is wonderful to have such spirit like men have, I doubt if there ever can be sportswomanship with so much enthusiasm :)
If sportsmanship relates to competition, women are winners. They not only compete with others but make their husbands follow that race as well. 'iss ke ghar gaRi hai, hamari kiyun nahin' type provocation.
Re: Buzkashi (Goat Grabbing) in Afghan culture…
