Malay Sport

Malaysia’s famous sport is Sepak Raga. In English we call it hacky-sacking. This is what we did next. Some people were really good and extremely flexible. In Malaysia, Sepak Raya it is played as a sport. Opposite teams must keep a wicker ball in the air and points are scored every time a team member hits the ball. Each person is only allowed to hit the ball once before kicking it on.

Sepak Takraw is a similar form where a ball is hit back and forth over a net. No hands are allowed. There are two types of balls that can be used – one is a chicken feathered ball and the other is a wicker ball.

After, I spun “tops” while Mari played a game of Congkok – a game similar to the African game Wari.

I discovered I was very good at top spinning also called Main Gasing in Malaysia. Main Gasing competitions are serious business. They mostly occur when people are waiting for the rice to mature. Usually the tops fight attackers attempt to dislodge the defenders from a pre-planned pattern.

Other times there are contests to see how long a top can be spun. Some of the bigger tops can spin for over an hour. The world record is two hours.