17th of August may be a regular day for you, but not in Indonesia. It is Indonesia’s Independence Day that serves as a reminder of the country’s escape from colonisation. This celebration is associated with traditional games that can surely make everyone laugh and bond. As we approach the 17th of August, we have listed some “Tujuh Belasan” games guaranteed to keep your corporate meetings, social gatherings, or family events away from being boring.

Crackers Eating Competition

The goal of this contest is to finish your cracker before anyone else does. It may sound easy, but your hands will be tied behind your back, and the crackers will be hung from a thin rope to a horizontal string, while both ends will be laced to poles or trees. It will be competitive because a single bite will shake the entire rope, and shake the rest of the crackers by default. Competitors will have to adjust their posture, move, or even jump to win the game. You can also use other foods if crackers are hard to find in your area.

Sack Race

This game will make use of rice sacks and helmets. In this game, people will race against another while their body is tied within the rice sack and their head pops up. For safety reasons, contestants should be given helmets as there is a high probability of tripping. With limited to no traction available for contestants, they will have to jump, roll, or use their imagination to win the game.

Marble Race

In this game, you will need to make groups, spoons, marbles (or any small-rounded items you can find as a substitute). As the name suggests, you will race to get to the goal as soon as possible. The twist? Use of hands is not allowed in this game. Imagine participating in a relay race, where you will have your group that will be given only one marble. Contestants must go for a lap from point A to point B, then back to point A to meet their teammate while holding a spoon in their mouth with marble on top. Pass the marble from one spoon to another, then repeat until the last person in the group has gone past point A. If the marble drops to the ground, you must pick it up and return to the starting point to redo the lap. Only those with good balancing skills can win at ease!

Easier for a Camel to Go Through the Eye of a Needle

In this game, you will need ropes, pencils, and empty bottles. The objective is to put the pencil into the empty needle, again, without using your hands. A line of rope will be tied to the contestants’ waist, where another line is connected with a pencil. Imagine having a tail with a pencil hanging from it. Everyone then runs to where the bottle is standing, who is first to insert the pencil into the bottle wins the game.

Which of these competitions would you play? Be sure to tag us on how much fun you have had on these games.

Happy Indonesia’s Independence Day. Merdeka!