The ancient and forbidden game of Morra

The summer festas is the time of year where an extremely old game is sometimes played by men of the area. The ancient game of Morra - known since Roman times and probably stretches back even to Ancient Greek as well, is a version of the paper - scissors - rock game which can be found all over the world. Simplicity itself as no objects are needed for the game except a head for numbers and a good memory. So how is it played?

Two teams with two persons in each team face off against each other.
The hand that you are using generally remains visible to your opponent and the other hand is usually placed to the side or behind your back or on the table to keep score
Either at the count of three or some sort of predetermined signal the players extend their fingers and shout out a number from zero to ten.
The fingers are counted to see if anyone guessed correctly.
If one of the players guessed correctly they win the round.
If no one guessed the right number then neither player wins that round. If they both guessed the correct answer than it is a draw and neither gets credit for winning the round. Zero is represented by extending your hand and making a fist.

It is fast and furious and only the very quick survive.Tempers are raised and blood starts to boil as the game progresses. The game is actually still illegal in Italy after laws were passed in the last century in an attempt to curb the acts of violence between rival players but at festas during the summer you can sometimes hear the raises voices of men playing the game . Download a small (730kb) MP3 file to get a taste of just how fast this game is played here