Types of Danish Games for Kids

Tag Sat

• Documentary filmmaker Jules Oosterwegel spent 15 years traveling the world and filming children playing games. While in Denmark, he found children playing a version of tag. In this Danish adaptation, there are about four children playing in an open field. Instead of one person being "it," and the other children scattering and running away, in this version the kids who are not "it" form a group.

  One of the children is the "tagger." The other children form a protective, circled group. One of the children, the "target," holds hands with the other two children, the "body guards." They spin around the field, trying to keep the target away from the tagger, who can tag by either touching the target from the outside circle, or by reaching into the triangle to tag. When the tagger tags the target, then the target becomes the next tagger, and another child is the target, and the game begins again.

"Mus"

• This children's game, Mus (or "Mouse") from Denmark requires small cookies, often the type called peppernuts, or pebernodder. These cookies are traditionally the size of small nuts, and made with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper. The game requires at least three people and a pile of pebemodder, which are the "mice."

  Start by lining up about ten "mice." One of the players is "it." With eyes closed, "it" waits while another player secretly selects one of the "mice." The "it" player must then begin to eat the "mice," one after the other, until arriving at the selected cookie. At this point, the other players shout "Mouse!" or "Mus!" Now it is someone else's turn to be "it," and the game begins again. The game continues as long as the players wish to play, either until the cookies are all gone, or the players don't want to eat anymore cookies.

Knock the Cat Out of the Barrel

• The festival of Fastelavn occurs seven weeks before Easter, when the Danish celebrate a form of Mardi Gras activities and parties. Before the pre-Easter fasting begins, the Danes hold a type of carnival, where everyone has parties, eats a lot of food, plays games and dresses up.

  A popular children's game is "Knock the Cat Out of the Barrel." The grown-ups prepare a type of pinata, but in the shape of a wooden barrel, decorated with various designs and black cats. In some versions, several barrels are strung on a clothesline, or hung from the ceiling. The barrels are full of candy and fruit.

  The children are given sticks and take turns, attempting to break the holder, or knock the cat out of the barrel. The winners are the first two children, a boy and a girl, who break the "barrel" and spill the cat, or candy. These two kids each receive a crown, in addition to candy. In other versions, only one winner is the "King" or "Queen." In some versions, the boy who wins is crowned Kattekonge, King of Cats, or the girl who wins is crowned Kattedronning, Queen of Cats.

  This game originated out of a medieval practice of trying to rid a town of bad luck and bad spirits. Townsfolk placed a cat in a barrel, and then beat it until it broke. According to superstition, the cat was then chased out of town, taking evil luck and spirits with it.