Blind chicken

Women playing the blind Gallina in 1803.

The gallina ciega (in Argentina, gallito ciego) is a children's game in which a player, blindfolded, must catch one of the participants and, in certain variants, guess who it is.

Description

The game has no maximum number of players; one of the players is "blind man hen" and the others have to try not to get caught or caught or found, the other players blindfold, usually with a handkerchief or blindfold, a selected player.

From that moment on, the player named "blind man's buff" tries to catch one of the players, guided by their voices. Touching, of course, but without hitting. When someone is caught, that player is out of the game. When playing the game, in order to help the chicken to get its prey, players usually talk to it or give it clues as to where they are (such as singing or yelling directions like left or right).

So that the player called the chicken does not see, a non-transparent handkerchief is tied over its eyes.

It is usually played in a spacious area, free of obstacles to prevent the player playing the role of the "chicken" get hurt by tripping or bumping into something.

The painter Francisco de Goya immortalized this game in his painting of the same name. In the modern age, it is a common parlor game among adults of the European upper class.

The rules of blind man's game.

1. First of all, you must choose who will wear the blindfold, that is, the one who will play the role of blind man and must find the rest. Once chosen, you must put a handkerchief over your eyes, so that you cannot see anything.

2. The rest of the children stand in a circle around the blind man's buff, holding hands. The "little chicken" she must circle herself three times before starting to search, so she doesn't know where she is.

3. The task of the little chicken is to catch one of the children, who can move but without letting go of their hands. When the little hen has a baby, she has to guess who it is by touch. If correct, roles are exchanged.

Gallinita ciega is the name given in Chile and in some areas of Spain to the nightjar (Caprimulgus sp, Systellura sp and Chordeiles sp) Gallina chota, in Murcia.