Riddle - in Other Cultures

In Other Cultures

Quite similar to its English counterpart, the riddle in the Philippines is called Bugtong. It is traditionally used during a funeral wake together with other games such as tong-its or the more popular sakla, later generations use Bugtong as a form of past time or as an activity. One peculiarity of the Filipino version is the way they start with the phrase Bugtong-bugtong before saying the riddle, usually it is common to create riddles that rhyme.
An example of a Tagalog Bugtong

Tagalog tl
Bugtong-bugtong, Hindi hari, hindi pari
ang suot ay sari-sari.
-Sampayan
English en
Riddle-riddle, not a king, nor a priest,
but dresses for a feast.
-Clothes line

Similarly, a bit south, in Sulawesi, Indonesia, among the Pendau, riddles are also used at funeral gatherings.

  • Missing dollar riddle
  • Newspaper riddle
  • Oedipus and the Sphinx
  • Rumpelstiltskin

Read more about this topic:  Riddle

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