Folk games are unique creations of folk history with a long history in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
People created games to reflect their daily activities and events. Uzbek and Tajik folk games incorporate words, music, and dance to convey impressions, observations, and emotions. From early childhood to adolescence, games were not simply pastime activities, but ways to raise children. Games were used to study life events, natural phenomena, and human relationships from infancy to maturity.
These are some games in both submitting countries; chillak or Hakka chillak, Chillak-dangal, Zuvillatar, Zuv-zuv in Uzbekistan (Tajikistan: Chillakbozi, Chilik-dangal), Toptosh (Tajikistan: Sangchabozi), Tortishmachok / Bandkashak, Oq terakmi- ko'k terak / Safedor-siyohkhor. In both submitting states, these games are mostly played by boys and girls under 16. Uzbekistan State University of Physical Culture's Department of "Traditional folk games" conducts lessons and research in this field.
In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, this element has been transmitted through written sources and oral traditions. The transmission of the element in Uzbekistan is greatly aided by local and regional administrations, as well as NGOs that organize festivals and competitions. Uzbekistan has the State Programme for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which serves as a foundation. Ministries and organizations in Uzbekistan implemented numerous projects.
In order to facilitate the creation and use of ICH inventories in the Central Asian region, ICHCAP UNESCO (Republic of Korea) and Republican Center for Folk Art under the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Uzbekistan (and financial support provided by ICHCAP UNESCO), the project collected information about all aspects of ICH in Central Asian countries. In collaboration with the Republican Center for Folk Art under the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Uzbekistan, the UNESCO Office in Tashkent and the National Commission of Uzbekistan implemented the project aimed at popularizing folk games and incorporating them into educational programs. It is currently being prepared by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a draft resolution aimed at holding an international festival of national games in autumn 2020. Researchers and scholars of folklore studies conducted studies on reviving and transmitting the traditional games of Uzbek people after independence in 1991.
In 1999-2003, a National Festival "To'maris o'yinlari" (To'maris' games) was organized as well as conferences devoted to women's games. As part of Tajikistan's cultural policy, a variety of actions (events, programs, projects, etc.) are planned to revive the nation's traditional spiritual, moral, and cultural values. Each year, the "Republican Festival of Traditional Games," or the "Navruz Folk Games," is held in Tajikistan.