Gena

Gena (Amharic: ገና) or qarsa (ቃርሳ) is a traditional field hockey game popular in the Ethiopian highlands.^[1]

Ethiopian style artwork of people in traditional clothing playing Genna

It is a game played in the space between villages, a field of about 100 yards, but with no defined boundaries.^[2] It is played among two teams who attempt to throw a wooden ball in the air and hit it with sticks, the goal being to prevent the opposing team from bring the ball to their village, or score it in your goal.^[3]^[4]

Haile Selassie playing the traditional sport

The game is closely associated with Gena, the January 7 celebration of Christmas, from which it gets its name along with another, rugby-like, sport.^[5]

Men during the beginning of a Gena match

References[]

^ Graham, John (7 September 2001). Ethiopia: Off the Beaten Trail. Addis Ababa: Shama Books. p. 167. ISBN 9781931253116. OCLC 51553876.
^ Wolde-Georgis, Tsegay (30 November 2004). Fuller, Linda K. (ed.). Holiday Celebrations among the Highlanders of Ethiopia. National Days/National Ways: Historical, Political, and Religious Celebrations around the World. West Port, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 92, 99. ISBN 9780275972707. OCLC 547274920.
^ Lord, Edith (1970). Queen of Sheba's heirs: cultural patterns of Ethiopia. Acropolis Books. p. 53. ISBN 978-0874910117. OCLC 117120.
^ Crawley, Michael (4 October 2016). "The two-hour marathon: who is it for?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
^ Kagwanja, Peter (24 December 2016). "Shield Christmas fete from the perils of capitalist". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.

[[Category:Variations of field hockey]]

This article about sports in Ethiopia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

This field hockey article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] Graham, John (7 September 2001). Ethiopia: Off the Beaten Trail. Addis Ababa: Shama Books. p. 167. ISBN 9781931253116. OCLC 51553876.

[2] Wolde-Georgis, Tsegay (30 November 2004). Fuller, Linda K. (ed.). Holiday Celebrations among the Highlanders of Ethiopia. National Days/National Ways: Historical, Political, and Religious Celebrations around the World. West Port, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 92, 99. ISBN 9780275972707. OCLC 547274920.

[3] Lord, Edith (1970). Queen of Sheba's heirs: cultural patterns of Ethiopia. Acropolis Books. p. 53. ISBN 978-0874910117. OCLC 117120.

[4] Crawley, Michael (4 October 2016). "The two-hour marathon: who is it for?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.

[5] Kagwanja, Peter (24 December 2016). "Shield Christmas fete from the perils of capitalist". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]