|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chinese Moon Festival Dice Game
Call upon your family, aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, cousins nth removed, etc. etc.
This year, the Moon Festival will be a little more fun.
Try this dice game with the family. This game of chance is commonly played in Xiamen, and some Chinese communities throughout Asia, during the Moon Festival. It is easy enough (just throw a dice, get a prize) so even the little ones can join in.
Prizes are at stake to add to the excitement.
Think this is a quiet game? Depends on how goofy and competitive family members are...
Some families reserve a special prize for the Zhuang yan, (I read in the blogs examples such as a TV set, cash, cell phone, etc.) so you can imagine the shrieks as the major prize remain unclaimed.
Whether quiet or not, I hope you'll all have fun spending time together this Moon Festival night.
Read below to see the instructions.
Materials
You will need:
- 6 pieces dice
- Wide-mouthed bowl
- Prizes, prizes, prizes. You still have time to solicit…
- Assortment of quiet and noisy goofy family members and friends on Moon Festival night. Include Grandma, Grandpa and little nephews and nieces.
Object of the Game:
To get as much prizes by throwing the dice and getting prescribed number combinations.
Procedure:
Preparations before Moon Festival:
1. Look for a wide mouthed bowl.
2. Prepare 6 dice with number 1 and 4 in red.
3. Solicit for prizes among family.
4. Prepare the following prizes
- 32 pcs 6th place prizes
- 16 pcs 5th place prizes
- 8 pcs 4th places prizes
- 4 pcs 3rd place prizes
- 2 pcs 2nd place prizes
- 1 pc 1st place prize
Value of prizes may vary. May be simple or extravagant. Others raffle off moon cake, candies, gadgets, ChildBook gift certificates (ehem:-) … Be creative.
Game Proper on Moon Festival night:
5. Place wide-mouthed bowl on a table. Gather everybody around the table. Appoint the first player.
6. First player throws all 6 dice into the bowl. Take note of the numbers face-up on the dice.
7. Certain combination of numbers on the dice entitles the player to a prize. See combinations and corresponding prizes below.
8. Pass the bowl to the next person. S/he will also throw the dice and get a prize according to combination of numbers on the dice. Etc. etc. until all the prizes run out.
Special rules:
- If any of the dice fall outside the bowl, you lose your turn for that round.
- If all the prizes for a given configuration have run out, then future appearances of that configuration win no further prizes.
- "Ultimate throw" – The best combination is composed of either 6 fours, or 6 ones. If you get this combination, you win ALL prizes, even those already won. Some families just give the 1st prize to ensure everybody gets to take home a prize.
- Other rules you can make up as you go along as long as it is fair and everybody gets to have fun.
Numbers face up on dice
| This combination is called
| Prize to get | | one 4, plus assorted numbers | Xicuai | 6th place | | two 4s, other assorted numbers | Juren | 5th place | | three 4s, other assorted numbers | Tanhua | 4th place | | four of a same number, except 4 | Jinshi | 3rd place | 1-2-3-4-5-6; OR three of a number and three of another number
| Bangyan
| 2nd place | | four 4s OR five of any number | Zhuang Yuan
| 1st place | six 1s OR six 4s
| Ultimate Throw
| Gets ALL prizes
(even those already won) |
References:
Other Moon Festival Resources:
|
|
|
|
|
