International Tug of War Day - February 19th

Pulling the rope is one of the simplest sports, but with the longest history, which has been popular in many cultures around the world.

Pull rope is a sports competition in which two teams compete against each other in a strength test using a rope pull, each team at a different end. The team that manages to pull the whole team that holds the other end beyond the midline, it wins.

The sources of the tug of war are uncertain, but it is known that this sport was practiced in Cambodia, ancient Egypt, Greece, India and China.

In the 8th to 5th centuries BCE, in China during the Shang Dynasty, the military commander of Chu State used a tug of war, under the name "hook pull" (牽 鉤), to train warriors. There were 500 people at each end of the rope and each side had its own drumming team that encouraged the participants.

Archaeological evidence shows that tug of war was popular in both ancient Greece and India in the 12th century.

In most cultures there is a reference to strength competitions involving pulling in opposite directions that can be found on stone carvings, texts and ancient legends. The Vikings used the skins of animals stretched over a fire pit, to give another incentive to pull.

When high ships were common at sea, pulling the rope was a common way for sailors to show their physical fitness with the heavy ship ropes.

Sport was part of the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920. Although tug of war is no longer an Olympic sport, there are still many competitions between teams in many organizations around the world. There are organized tug-of-war competitions of various weights, with defined rules and there are also spontaneous tug-of-war games that take place on sports days or school trips, in the workplace, in the military, etc.

Rope-pulling competition in which the loser falls into the mud (a version that is preferable to the Viking version, with the fire pit)

The number of people participating in the competition can vary from just a few to a large audience, with the world record for single attraction standing at 1,574 participants. It is not surprising that such a popular event has its own annual day; International Tug of War Day. There are many games taking place around the world today, and if you want to celebrate this day, join a tug of war game, organize your own game or go watch and cheer.

 February 19 is also the Day of Temporary Insanity and Chocolate Mint Day

Japan's Lucky Man Race - January 10th

Every year on January 10, early in the morning, thousands of people in western Japan participate in a race where whoever runs the fastest will become the person with the most luck of the year. The race was held at the Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo District in Japan, at the Temple of Ebisu,  the Japanese god of fishermen and luck.

Before dawn, about 5,000 people waited outside the temple this year. When the gate opened to the sound of drums at six o’clock, they burst into a sprint towards the main hall, about 230 meters away, to become the first “lucky man” of the Reiwa era, the era of the new Japanese emperor Naruhito, who acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May 2019.

In the race that took place last year, in 2020, 33-year-old Yusuka Korogi, a physical education teacher at a high school in the city of Sakai, Osaka province, won.

The runners who came in second and third place were also crowned as "lucky men".

Aside from the happy title of lucky man of the year (fuku-otoko), Yosuka also won a barrel of rice. The winner said he was surprised by the achievement and he looks forward to a successful year and hopes to share his good fortune with other people.

Source

Photo: KYODO

January 10th is also Bittersweet Chocolate Day and Peculiar People Day

Landscape view of the Yogo district in Japan