Hrkljuš
Hrkljuš is a fictional sport, created for the TV show "Top lista nadrealista" which was very popular in Yugoslavia in the 1980s. In one episode of the show, a game appeared to be broadcast live.
The original video clip dedicated to Hrkljuš and other surreal things can be found on: Hrkljus.com web site.
Rules
The players (any number) stand in a circle, at arms' length from each other. The leader of the game throws a ball (made of mops) to someone in the circle. Players continue passing the ball to each other. When the ball falls from someone's hands, that player hits himself in forehead with his fist, and yells: "Domene!" (meaning My bad!). When the leader of the game yells: "Hrkljuš!", the owner of the ball is the winner.[1][2] "Hrkljuš" is any player who is out of the game. When only one player remains in the game, he is declared the winner.
Inspiration for "game"
This "game" is a caricature of Dervish ceremonial of Iranian Pasdaran. They make cut on their forehead with knife, then put on cut strip with Sura from Qur'an, and then hit themselves with fist, making bleeding stronger.
Pop culture influence
In 1991, a computer game for Commodore 64 was launched by the Radivojević brothers from Arilje. Besides the standard rules (ball throwing and hitting own forehead with fist), a league competition mode was also introduced.[2]
"Hrkljuš" immediately found its place in slang of ex-Yugoslavian languages. It usually means:
- something stupid, with no sense at all;[2]
- obstinately insisting on doing something the wrong way;
- taking part in a situation with vague rules;
- persistence on backwardness and anachronistic habits.
See also
References
- ↑ Leksikon YU mitologije - Hrkljuš (Lexicon of YU-mythology - Hrkljuš) (in Serbian)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 ex-YU computer scene - Hrkljuš computer game (ex-YU Računalniška scena - Hrkljuš) (site in Slovenian, game review in Serbian)