Bowling: A sport, rooted in religion
Who doesn’t love a game of bowling? Knocking down bowling pins with friends, followed by a treat from the losing side is great fun after all! Well, this is a popular indoor sport all over the world. For the unversed, the game involves rolling a heavy ball down a narrow lane towards a group of 10 bottle-shaped objects called bowling pins. The aim is to knock down more than your opponent, to win. The game of bowling is also called tenpins, because there are ten pins that need to be knocked down at each turn. There are many variations to this game, such as candlepins, fivepins, duckpins, skittles and ninepins. However, tenpins remain the most widely played variation. People across the globe can be seen enjoying the sport, but not many know of its roots. Curious to know more? Read on!
Ancient Egyptians used to bowl!
If we thought that bowling was a modern game, we couldn’t be more wrong! In ancient Egypt, people placed personal belongings, along with food and drinks, in the tombs of the deceased. People usually buried the objects closest to the persons in their tombs. These items are called grave goods. Interestingly, nine pieces of stones were discovered during an archaeological excavation in the tomb of an Egyptian child. The child is calculated to be buried in 3200 BC. The nine pieces of stone can be set up as pins, at which a stone ball can be rolled. The tomb was found by British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie during the 1930s. Archaeologists then understood that ancient Egyptians played a primitive form of bowling more than 5,200 years ago in a large hall. Two people would play at once, one at either end of a 4-metre-long lane. One person would roll the smaller ball, and the other the bigger one.
Modern bowling has its roots in religion
Bowling, as we see it today, probably has its roots in ancient Germany, where it was not a sport back then but a religious ceremony. During the 3rd and 4th century AD, parishioners (regular churchgoers) used to go everywhere, even to church, with bottled-shaped clubs to protect themselves and their family. These clubs, known as Kegel in German, used to represent sin. A stone used to be rolled towards the Kegel. The people who could successfully knock the Kegel down were believed to have cleansed their sins. So, bowling used to be a part of religious cleansing ceremonies. As time passed, the Kegels became pins. In fact, till date, bowlers are called Keglers! The stone ball is now made of wood and is bigger in size than before.
Fun facts
- The first indoor lane for bowling was constructed in New York City in 1840. Ten years down the line, in 1950, the first game was aired on TV.
- Bowling was once banned in America. It is strange, considering the fact that Americans love bowling. But way back in the 15th century, this sport was banned to prevent soldiers from gambling.
- Only men were allowed to bowl. Yes, that's true. The American Bowling Congress officially classified bowling as a gentlemen’s sport, and women were barred from it. They got a chance to hit the pins in 1917, when the Women’s National Bowling Association was founded.