Favourite Christmas Family Game

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oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, December 24, 2008, 15:18

A 200 year old game known as 'Hot Cockles' has been told to exist in a book from 1801. The game involved placing your head in someone's lap while guessing who was hitting you from behind. This was one of the most loved games for the family.

The book by author and artist Joseph Strutt, 'Sports and Pastimes' mentions about 'Hot Cockels' which bears resemblance the classic Blind Man's Buff. The book was recently found in a house in Staffordshire.

The book talks about various games that were popular amongst families, is all set to be auctioned next month. It is revealed that rather than watching TV or playing on the latest games console, children loved entertaining traditional games, many of which are long forgotten.

The various traditional games included in the book are Baste the Bear, Duck and Drake and Puss in the Corner, which involved four children, each standing in the corner of a room with another standing in the middle and those at the corners had to swap positions before the middle one taking their place.

Hippas is a Greek game that involves one person riding upon the shoulders of another, as upon a horse," Hunt the Fox, where one child was allowed to run a certain distance before having to return without anyone catching him.

The book is expected to fetch 200 pounds in an auction by Derby-based auctioneers Hansons on 21st January. Auctioneer Charles Hanson says that the book provides an insight to the lost age of childhood and innocence.

The book was written more than three decades ago before the working and middle classes were granted the vote, it was largely divided along social lines and remains Strutt's most popular book till date. AGENCIES