CHANTING WHILE SAWING WOOD (KEO CUA LUA XE) - Vietnamese Folk Games

CHANTING WHILE SAWING WOOD (KEO CUA LUA XE) - Vietnamese Folk Games

Along with the rapid development of urbanization and the invasion of Western culture is the disappearance of traditional villages and rice fields in Vietnam where people had nurtured and enriched the distinctive agriculture culture for thousands of years. Nowadays, we can only see the traditional games in some festivals and sadly, most of the kids do not even know the names of these used-to-be very familiar, healthy and exciting entertainments. This list video will show you about what and how Vietnamese people play in the past.
Vietnamese traditional game - Chanting while sawing wood :
Both boys and girls play the game of keo cua lua xe. Two children sit opposite each other, holding each other’s hands tightly. While reciting a song, they push and pull each other’s arms and pretend as if they are sawing a piece of wood between them.
They say each word as they push or pull. The song goes as follows:
Keo cua lua xe (Keo cua means “to ‘pull’ a saw”; lua xe means “to adjust the saw to the wood grain)
Ong tho nao khoe (The worker who is strong)
Ve an com vua (Returns to eat the king’s rice)
Ong tho nao thua (The worker who cannot catch up)
Ve bu ti me (Returns to suck his mother’s milk)
Or, an alternate version:
Keo cua lua xe
Lam it an nhieu (Work a little, eat a lot)
Nam dau ngu day (Sleep wherever we lie down)
No lay mat cua (They steal the saw)
Lay gi ma keo (How will we saw?) .