Marble

Marbles are present in several aspects of Rio de Janeiro's culture and history. Until the 1970s, the game was played all over Rio, mainly in more peripheral areas and less urbanized neighborhoods. Today, it is the children from the North and West Zones who keep the tradition alive. And the popularization of videos on social media has helped keep the game alive among children, young people, and collectors.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. In the image, we see a group of people on a street. On the left, there is a building with columns and windows. Near it, two men are sitting on the ground, apparently resting. Further to the right, three other men are standing, talking. One of them is wearing a hat and appears to be looking at the others. In the center of the image, a man is kneeling, holding something in his hands. In the background, we see some people walking and a handcart. The caption on the image reads: "Shoeshine boys play marbles, 1910".

A marble can be defined as a small solid ball of glass, stone, or metal, usually dark, mottled, or intensely colored, of varying size, used in children's games. It's known by so many different names that it's hard to keep track: berlinde, burquinha, burca, baleba, bila, biloca, bilosca, birosca, bolinha, bolita, boleba, bolega, borroca, bugalho, búraca, búlica, búrica, bute, cabiçulinha, carolo, clica, firo, fubeca, guelas, nica, peca, peteca, pinica, pirosca, mangalho, bolinha, piripiri, xingaua, kamikaze, ximbra and bolíndri. Did we forget any?

There are several ways to play marbles, but the objective doesn't change much: with a flick of the thumb, you shoot a small marble in order to hit a previously marked target (triangle, hole, etc.). Shots can be made up close, from far away, all at once, or in successive flicks, and the modes involving holes require dirt ground -- those with a chalk drawing can be played on stone or concrete ground.

During the Civil-Military Dictatorship, students used the game to protect themselves against cavalry repression during marches opposing the regime. On one side, batons and combat boot kicks; on the other, just marbles bringing down horses.

The games are as varied as the names that the marble is given, changing from city to city, from street to street, according to the creativity of children, teenagers, and even adults. Here, we're going to talk about the three main ones, búlica, zepê, and triângulo.

Búlica

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. It shows a game of bowls. On the left side, there is a detail of the marble ball. In the center, there is a rectangle representing the throwing area. Three people are positioned within this rectangle, with marks indicating the points where they stand. On the right, there are further details of the marble ball. At the bottom, it reads "Jogo de Boliche" and "Alcides 30-7-20".

To play the most famous of marble games, three small, shallow holes called búlicas (see figure above) must be dug in the dirt patch. The number of players can vary, but to keep the game brisk, five is ideal. The match can be played "for real," when the winner takes home his opponents' marbles, or just for fun, in which case the champion only gets the merit of being the best. To start, the players throw their marbles toward the farthest spot. During this setup, whoever shouts "marraio feridor sou rei" first will be the last to play and will have the advantage of having more marbles on the field. The other players must shout "second," "third," "fourth," and whoever shouts last will be the first to play his marble. From the second player on, any participant who hits another player's marble earns the right to start the game.

The variations: Zepê and Triângulo

Image description: The image is a black-and-white engraving. It shows a game called "Marbles" on a triangular field. On the left side, there is an oval object with several marks, labeled "Zépe." On the right, three people are positioned on the field: one is standing, another is sitting on the ground, and the third is standing further to the left. In the center of the field, there is a triangle and small scattered dots. The date "30-7-2020" is written in the bottom right corner.

In zepê, the players decide whether it will be “for real” or just for fun, place the prizes (marbles or money) on the figure drawn on the ground, and draw a straight line in the dirt at a distance of three meters. Each participant throws their marble toward the line, and whoever gets closest starts the game. Shouting “marraio feridor sou rei” offers the same advantage as in búlica -- whoever is the last to hit another player's marble goes first, and the game ends when all the objects in the zepê are gone.

The triangle, in turn, is a variation of zepê, with the same rules, only changing the shape where the marbles and coins are placed. A version of the game was created for rainy seasons, since wet ground made playing marbles difficult. Players would draw the triangle on the ground and mark the straight line to check who would play first, but the marbles were only used to decide who would start the game. Participants held an iron or bamboo stake with a sharp point, and the game consisted of driving it into the ground while walking toward the triangle. What creativity!