Origins of the sport
The oldest image symbolizing tug of war is about 4,000 years old and dates back to Ancient Egypt, but this does not mean that people in other ancient civilizations did not compete with one another, with or without a rope — simply no one else left an image that has survived to the present day.
Ancient China has a legend that tug of war was invented at the dawn of time, when the Sun and the Moon were settling their dispute over how much light and darkness there should be in the world. Besides the legend, there are Chinese written records stating that the game was used to train warriors almost 3,000 years ago. The game is mentioned in France and Japan (1500 AD), in India (1100 AD), in Scandinavia and Germany (1000 AD), in Ancient Greece (500 BC), and in many other countries.
References to ritual ceremonies involving tug of war have been found in various countries: Burma, India, Korea, Hawaii and New Guinea.
Mystical power
Tug of war was seen as a symbol of contests between various mystical forces — for example, the victory over the forces of evil in the struggle between good and evil, held during funeral ceremonies or during prayers for a harvest, good weather, etc. The works of the ethnographer Savier tell us that in Burma there was a custom in which one party representing the rains competed in a tug of war with another party symbolizing drought. In this contest, a victory for the rain team was taken to mean the coming of the rainy season.
Tug of war was also popular in other Asian countries: Japan, China and Korea. In addition, tug of war as a ritual is known in Africa (Congo), America and Oceania (New Zealand). Even today, Inuit communities hold traditional tug of war competitions during spring festivals. The community was divided into 2 groups: on one side, people born in spring and summer; on the other, those born in winter and autumn.
Ancient styles
In ancient times, tug of war was practiced in a variety of styles. In Afghanistan, for example, a board was used instead of a rope. In Korea, children clasped each other around the waist, forming a living chain. Team captains had to have a strong grip, as they linked the teams together. Tug of war was not only a team competition. In some countries there was a one-on-one form. Canadian Inuit competed in pulling a short rope while seated. The competitor who pulled his opponent out of this position was considered the winner.
In Western Europe, evidence of tug of war dates back to 1000 AD in legends and stories about heroes from Scandinavia and Germany taking part in so-called "Games of Strength." In the 15th century, tug of war became a popular competition in France and Great Britain. At the same time, more attention began to be paid to the rules. Teams were made up of people of equal weight.
