Morra

Old popular game, the morra is still widespread, not only in Italy, but also in the different regions of Spain, France, Slovenia, Croatia and  Eastern Europe.

Speed​​, cleverness and intuition are essential skills for this game. All players throw out a single hand, each showing zero to five fingers, and calling out loud their guess (from two to ten) at what the sum of all fingers shown will be. If one player guesses the sum, that player earns one point. The first player to reach three points wins the game.

If all players guess right, or wrong, the bet is void.

Historical Background

The meaning of the word "morra" is still unknown, probably derives from the Latin "murris" (heap, pile of stones), even though the Romans actually called the game "micatio", from the verb "micare" (flashing), implying "digitis "(fingers).

The first morra players were probably shepherds, guarding their sheep, and this fact supports the hypothesis that the name derives from the word "murris."

Even today in Abruzzo and Molise, in the past land of shepherds, the expression "morra di pecore" is used to describe a group of sheep enclosed in an area surrounded by stone walls.

Another hypothesis is that the name derives from the term Mediterranean "morra" which means fight, confusion, uproar. The game, in fact, can get very excited, loud, almost violent. Others claim that it is the closed hand that has given name to the game.

Morra could also have taken its name from “mora” (blackberry), the fruit of the forest very well known in peasant societies. But this is not the most convincing hypothesis. Some claim that the name was given upon its diffusion among the Arabs, and then among the Moors. For others, it derives from the French "Mourre."

In Italy the first evidence can be found in a medieval document dated 1324, discovered in Santa Anatolia in the province of Macerata.

This document makes reference to " morre " referring to some games of the time . The game of " mora" ( with a single r) also appears in the " Vocabolarietto della lingua furbesca " (1480)  by Luigi Pulci.

Morra was banned in 1931 by the fascist regime, for reasons of public policy, since it was considered gambling and often caused quarrels and fights. A ban on morra in public places is still in force  in all the Italian regions (in compliance with the “Consolidated Text of Laws on Public Security”, T.U.L.P.S.), except in Trentino-Alto Adige , where the game can now be played also in public spaces.

Despite the bans, numerous communities of morra players were able to keep the game alive, by organizing meetings and tournaments even among younger generations, who see in Morra , as in other traditional games , a different way to be together and have fun.

Game Communities

Morra, Stenico (Trento), Trentino

Morra, Brenzone (Verona), Veneto