TRADITIONAL GAME: INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract

Traditional games have deep roots in the culture of the people and become the subject of interest in this paper, which aims to emphasize the importance of introducing them to a modern child. They transmit human values that need to be encouraged from an early age. Traditional games foster positive values such as loyalty, cooperation, togetherness, responsibility, discipline, and sportsmanship.
The traditional game in this paper is not seen as archaic, or outdated, but as a transferable legacy from generation to generation. The connection with the homeland and its cultural identity is emphasized, but at the same time, the highlight is on finding the same or very similar games around the world. By nurturing traditional play, we come to the recognition of the habits of the modern child and the need to systematically involve children in the so called free, and self organizing play, that nowadays appears less and less during childhood. They convey humane values that need to be encouraged from an early age. Traditional games as an intangible cultural asset must be protected because today they are no longer passed down from generation to generation. Consequently, the measures taken by the European Union, the Council of Europe must be expanded and included in the documents of the member states. Thus, traditional play is defined in the National Curriculum for Early Preschool Education of the Republic of Croatia as an important part of national culture. Therefore, it is necessary to nurture traditional games by systematically involving children in so called free and self organizing games, which are used less and less nowadays. All educators should work to promote traditional play by including specific goals for its preservation in the curricula of kindergartens.
The paper describes the traditional game in Istria through research carried out in the Istrian town of Bale Valle, and emphasizes the importance of nurturing intangible and material cultural heritage through the project of nativeness, which has been carried out for a decade in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools of the Istrian County. Many kindergartens involved in the project carry out numerous activities related to traditional games, including grandfathers, grandmothers and other elderly people. They cooperate with institutions that deal with the preservation of cultural heritage, such as museums, libraries, associations and other guardians of cultural heritage. The paper concludes that the diversity of personal, social, and cultural identities is important in traditional play. It is an expression of the identity of the community.