What is it that runs on the ground and is full of tradition? A Whipping top! A toy that brought so much joy and still brings and is considered the most popular traditional game of the last century.

Widely used by children in courtyards, streets and schools, a simple toy that brought hours and hours of fun. Recalling the childhood of several generations of Portuguese, where the whipping top brought laughs. A Toy that was always in your hands, backpacks or pockets.

This toy not only characterizes the childhood of many Portuguese, it is also one of the oldest in humanity. A long existence, having been recorded since the year 4000 B.C. It was even related to the reading of omens or premonition rituals.

Its round shape at the top and thinner at the bottom, gave struggle to those who wanted to dominate it. There were those who managed to make it swirl on the floor, but some "artists" managed to make it swirl in the palm of their hands.

The Portuguese tradition states that the whipping top must be made of wood, with a metal spike at the end. What makes it spin is the cord that coils around it, the so-called twine or spinneret.

Do you still remember how to play?

Ganha o jogador que consiga fazer com o seu pião tire os outros do círculo.

Step 1 - Each player needs a whipping top and string.

Step 2 - Draw a circle on the floor that can be about five feet.

Step 3 - Wrap the string tightly around the top. Hold the string by hand in the loose end of the string.

Step 4 - Unroll the string and launch the top into the circle. When it unfolds, giving impulse with the hand, the cord is pulled back so that it rotates.

The winner is the player who uses his whipping top to take the others from the circle.

You can see the changes that this toy has undergone over the years at the Portuguese Toy Museum in Ponte de Lima and in this way obtain proof that a simple toy can create so many good experiences and memories for so many generations.

In addition to being a game that can reach everyone, the whipping top has also managed to conquer us through the children's song “I have a whipping top”. A song that reminds us of the joys of the past until today. Do you remember?

Thanks to the Portuguese Toy Museum in Ponte de Lima, which gave us the photos of the various whipping tops we can find on a visit to the Museum, to Maria Teresa and Guilherme Soares.

It is to the sound and voice of the younger generation that we hear this song that represents such a tradition. One, two, three, Maria Teresa on the keys and in the voice in this video.

For the traditions,

Inspirações Team