Victorian traditional games

To perform the Clown's Pantomime - This consists [] in rubbing the forehead with one hand while you strike the breast with the other, standing up in the room for the performance. If correct time is not kept, in the judgment of the company, another forfeit is to be paid.

To the forfeits for a lady given in the previous paper may be added:- 1. To kiss a Gentleman "Rabbit Fashion. The lady has the privilege of choosing any gentleman present. A piece is broken off a reel of cotton, and the lady takes one end of the piece in her mouth while the gentleman takes the other in the same way. They then both nibble the cotton until the kiss ensues, as a matter of course.

If the gentleman is sufficiently gallant, he will perform the chief part of the "nibbling" process. The company may exercise their discretion as to the length of the cotton. To sing a Song, or play a Piece of Music. If the lady called upon can really do neither, another forfeit is allotted to her.

Ask a Question to which Yes must be the Answer. The unfortunate forfeiter may ask all kinds of questions, without eliciting the answer required for her release. But if she simply inquires, "What does y-e-s spell? To kiss the Gentleman you love best in the Company, without any one knowing it. To put yourself through the Keyhole. We give this as an example. The forfeit is paid by writing "yourself" upon a piece of paper, and passing that through the keyhole. To kiss each Corner of the Room.

To spell "Constantinople. To this, the proper reply is, "Thank you;" the fourth syllable is then spelt, and the fifth completes the task. To form a Rifle Corps. The gentleman then calls a lady, who stands at his side; and she in turn names a gentleman, who places himself opposite to her. So the calling goes on, until all present are included. If the number of ladies and of gentlemen present is unequal, the more mirth is created by the last persons called standing opposite one of their own sex.

When all are called, the word is given by the first gentleman in the rank, "Present arms. We conclude our list of forfeits with a few contrived to include more than one member of the company. Either a lady or a gentleman may be called upon to "sit on the Stool of Repentance. The answers are repeated openly to the forfeiter, with the question after each, "Who said that?

A lady is required to "be Postman. So the forfeit proceeds, a lady calling a gentleman, and a gentleman a lady, until the company have all been called, but no person present is bound to answer twice. When the calling of forfeits has been continued long enough, and several remain, which it is desired to clear off together, the forfeiters may be called upon to perform a "Musical Medley. The effect is generally so grotesque as to produce shouts of laughter.

Blind man's Bluff One member of the company was blindfolded and counted to twenty whilst the rest scattered about the room. The blindfolded person had to chase and catch somebody and identify him or her correctly, by touch alone.

Once identified, that person donned the blindfold and the game began again. A popular children's game today. One variation on the game was known as 'Queen of Sheba', which involved the prettiest girl in the company being seated on a chair, after which the blindfolded player had to make his way over to steal a kiss from her.

The girl was replaced by an elderly relation at the last moment, to the intense delight of all present. Hunt the Slipper The players sat in a circle with one person in the middle, their eyes closed. A slipper was then passed round the players' backs. When the middle person opened his or her eyes, the players continued to pass the slipper surreptitiously between them, and the person was required to guess who had the slipper at any one moment.

If he or she guessed correctly, the person named then took center stage. Snapdragon This game was one of the favorites. Each person had to pick currants known as plums out of a shallow bowl of burning spirit using their mouth, thereby extinguishing the flame. Not one to recommend today! Charades This was perhaps the most popular of all Victorian parlor games.

The company divided into teams of up to six. For a simple game of charades, the first team was given a two- or three-syllable word to act out in total silence, which the others had to guess. The more complicated game could involve the acting out of a scene from a complicated staged production.

Members of the opposite team were required to guess the required word or scenario before it was their turn to act. Squeak, Piggy, Squeak! Here are some examples.

There are more examples. Player 1 must answer the questions truthfully. The person who guesses correctly wins, and then takes the role of Player 1.

The host shows everyone a little knick-knack in the room. All the guests are to leave while the host hides it. When they return, everyone is to look for the item until they spot it.

They are then to sit down. The Sculptor can distract the other players and encourage them to laugh, but they must not touch them. Each person uses the dictionary in turn to look up a word and writes down the real, simple definition and then makes up two or three other definitions. This game involves the one blindfolded player who will attempt to tag the others. But as we discussed Victorians were relentless players so they played even a tougher version of this game.

According to this games whatever comes in the way for Folks, they will tumble over it which causes many arms, legs or heads to break. If you fail to follow a command or answer any question then you need to pay a monetary fine or get your face blackened with the soot of fire.

If anyone still has the energy to play then they could end their evening by playing Hoop and Hide, a game similar to Hide and Seek. It is just a way different than Hiding and seeks that anyone caught in or near the bed then the disputes will end in kissing.

The Christmas we celebrate is Victorians in nature but it is far cry from the drunken, bruising, flaming and terrifying festival of yore. In the game look about. One of the players have to choose a small object and has to show it to other others. Where everyone is asked to leave the room except for one of them. The object earlier choose is then placed somewhere discreetly. It must be in such a way which is viewed but could be low or high.

After some minutes, other players are asked to return to the room and have to look around to find the hidden object. Only Rich Victorian Families could afford one. According to Wikipedia, Skittles is a predecessor of many of the games of today, such as, bowling and lawn bowling. In the Victorian era this game was typically played outside but had indoor variations as well. It is still a popular indoor pub game in some areas of the UK and United States.

It consisted of a round hard ball and several Skittles, usually around nine. The object of the game was to roll the ball and knock down as many skittles as possible. Although wealthy families could buy fancy and extravagant Skittles sets, this game was played by the rich and the poor since it could easily be made by hand. C, and leather or animal skins have been used to make them just about as long. Football was played on the lawns or in the streets by all classes of people. Yes, the rich children could own a fancy professionally made ball but the poor children could easily make their own.

Books were a great source of enjoyment for Victorian Children, rich or poor. They would read them over and over. Published by Paxton Price on: August 22, Home Contact Us. Victorian Era Automata Toys Automata toys were usually made of wood and had moving parts powered by a hand crank.

Marbles Marbles are still played with today but are starting to fade away a little. Tea set As with all children from the olden days up to now there is a great desire to emulate their parents. Kaleidoscope Pictured to the left is a Victorian Age Kaleidoscope. Zoetrope One might say that this was actually the beginning of movies and eventually television as we know it today.

Victorian Doll Obviously this is one toy that has been around for a long time and will be around for many years to come. Hobby Horse — Rocking Horse There were no cars in Victorian times so horses were the main source of transportation. The Whip and Top The predecessor to the spinning top, a Whip and Top consisted of a cylinder type object The Top with a pointed bottom and a stick with a string or piece of leather tied to the end The Whip.

Spinning tops Spinning Tops were actually just a simplified version of the whip and top. Quoits Ring toss or even Yard Jarts most likely evolved from Quoits. Clockwork Trains These toy trains were not made popular until the latter part of the Victorian era.

Skittles According to Wikipedia, Skittles is a predecessor of many of the games of today, such as, bowling and lawn bowling.