The morra is a traditional and popular game that is practiced and enjoyed in different parts of the Mediterranean arc, including many villages in the province of Teruel, such as La Iglesuela del Cid, Allepuz or Villarroya de los Pinares, in the Maestrazgo region.
It is a game that requires a lot of concentration and mental agility. Although its operation seems simple, as you go deeper into it, its complexity increases. It consists of shouting a number into the air, between two and ten, matching the voices of the two people playing with the fact of showing each one of their hands with the number of fingers they play or “take out”, and trying to make that number coincide with the sum of the fingers shown by both hands. That would be the basis of the game.
Obviously, going deeper into the game leads to discovering special features of the game. Speed is one of them, agility in the fingers, etc. Not only the hands play, it is very interesting the postures of the players’ bodies, the movements when shouting and, of course, the expression on their faces. It is a game of one against one, but, with this base, some form teams of two, three or more players to take advantage of the capabilities of each one and following the cadences of the numbers take advantage of the work of the partner.
Although it seemed that the depopulation of the villages was diminishing the practice of the game of morra, in recent times it is recovering, and many young people begin to play, championships are organized, and its knowledge is promoted.
So much so that the Government Council of Aragon approved on June 14, 2023 the decree declaring the Game of the Morra to be of Intangible Cultural Interest. Thus, the game of the morra is officially recognized as an integral part of the cultural heritage of Aragon and its people and villages.
As it says in the annex of the above-mentioned decree, “The morra, due to its characteristics, its historical evolution and its survival, transcends the parameters of a mere game. It is a game of community, of communication, of important expressiveness, it is even a psychological and mental game, that entertains and of conflict resolution, in addition it contributes to the intercommunity and neighborhood relationship”.
Watching them play is very impressive. Seeing the speed and agility with which they draw their fingers, the speed with which they count the goals, and the enjoyment of the players. From this page we invite visitors to take an interest in the game and to come to the tournaments that are organized, for example, this month, in La Iglesuela del Cid, on March 16, 2024. It is also very easy to see them played spontaneously during festivities and celebrations, as the game has a reputation, often undeserved, of being a “drunkard’s game” and “borrasqueros”.
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