Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding

Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding          Khee-ma-kan-kuay (Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding) is a traditional game that Thai kids frequently played in the past. Parents use banana leaves from banana trees which planted around the house area and in the garden to invent a toy for their children. Apart from having fun from playing this game, children benefit from strong health activity it provides which includes the following: 1) Pretending to ride a horse helps children to utilize their imagination and to freely and boldly express themselves. 2) “Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding” is an excellent exercise. 3) Playing “Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding” helps to preserve local traditional games of Thailand. The Royal Institute indicated the English name of this game as ‘Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding’ as the actual translation of the traditional name.   Materials and Instruction Find a stem of banana around 1.5 was long (1 meter = 2 wa) . Cut it in the form of the head and neck of a horse. Attach a string between the head and tail of this banana leaf horse to place on the shoulder of the rider. How to play Kids will sit on the horse and behave like they are riding a real horse shouting ‘hee hee’ or ‘yee haaah’(making the usual sounds people shout when controlling their horses). They may race with other friends or continuously ride around a wide open space having fun. Roong Arun boy or mascot of 20th International Children’s Games or Sukhothai Game is a boy with topknot hair-do and riding banana rib hobby horse. This game can be found in other national traditional festivals occasionally. It has become a logo often used to express the identity and tradition of Thailand. CREDIT : http://thailandlives.net/traditional_detail.php?order=5