Nauryz Road Trip (Part 5 of 5)

This is the culmination of my Nauryz posts. I think I saved the best tradition for last. I had heard about this game getting played many times, but I had never seen it. The game is called Kok Par. It is a cross between polo and basketball, with a little bit of animal abuse thrown in for good measure. The "ball" (I use that term lightly) is a goat whose head has been cut off. The Kazakh young men (jigits) are on two opposing teams. The goal of the game is to get the "ball" and throw it into the "hoop". The "hoop" is a large, elevated, circular cement platform surrounded by old tires. The "hoop" can be seen below and is painted white. The "ball" starts off near the one sideline at midfield. The players line up opposite the "ball" on the other sideline. When the official makes a signal, both teams race for the "ball" trying to be the first to pick it up and carry it to their goal. This includes fending off biting, whipping, and other forms of attack by the opposing team while your own team tries to protect the "ball". When the "basket" is scored, the jigit that scored the "basket" carries the "ball" to midfield where it bounces a few times before coming to rest so that play can resume. The jigits that play this game are extremely strong and are tough competitors. It was pretty amazing to watch their agility as they leaned down from on top of their horse and touched the ground while picking up the "ball". They did this in a crowd of about 20 other jigits and their horses. Sounds like a game I would have wanted to play growing up, but wouldn't have been allowed to on account of being a girl.