Our ancestors have left behind many folk games for future generations to play during various festivals to create fun and increase mutual relationships. There are many Khmer folk games such as the King Game (Sdach Jang), Teanh Proat, Leak Kon Saeng, Choul Chhoung, Jarb Kon Klaeng Game, etc.
Among all these games, the Hidden coal or Leak Kh’chung Game” ល្បែងលាក់ធ្យូង” is a game of many Khmer folk games for fun and for practicing watching people’s facial expressions. This game can be played by 5 or more people, including children, man and woman. They play this game in their free time. They play it during the day under the shade of a tree or in the open air when the weather is cool.
First, two people have to sit cross-legged in a row and fold their palms or fold their hands on their knees. The other five players, one of whom is the fortune teller, and another holding a small piece of hard coal or a pebble, walk around and grab the hand of the person sitting, touching it like if they were going to put the coal in the palm of their hand, then quickly put the coal in the hand of one of the two, then let the fortune teller guess.
When the coal is placed, the fortune teller predicts, saying, “The coal is in this person’s hand,” which is the name of the person sitting in whose hand he thinks the coal is. And the fortune teller must have the right to hold the hidden coal once. The person who has already had the coal hidden in his hand must stand up and take turn as a fortune teller. The person who held the hidden coal before must sit cross-legged in the place where the person stood up. But if the guess is wrong, the person who hid the coal must continue to hold the hidden coal.
