Korean Hacky Sack (Jegichagi/Jegeechagee)

What is Jegichagi?

Jegichagi is one of the popular Korean traditional games generally played in winter on special days such as the Lunar New year or Thanksgiving holidays. It is simple and fun to play for people of all ages.

How do you make Jegi?

Jegi looks very similar to the shuttlecock. It is made of a coin or flat metal and very thin Korean paper called Hanji. To make Jegi, wrap the coin with a thin but sturdy sheet of paper first. Then tear the edge into thin strips to make fringes. You can use fabric instead of thin paper.

How to play it?

One player kicks a Jegi into the air with one foot as many as possible. A player can switch the kicking foot and keep kicking Jegi until it falls to the ground. A player with the greatest number of kicks wins. 

To play as a group, all the players can stand in a circle and take turns kicking the Jegi. A team with a player who let the Jegi fall to the ground loses the game. 

There are many other ways to play games. One player from each group can compete first and the winner with the most kicks can compete with the next players from other groups. Repeat these steps and a group with the last winner wins the game.

A player who holds Jegi instead of kicking back can lose or rejoin the game. This rule is different depending on the region. You can set the rules before starting the game.

Any special tips?

It can be more fun when you draw a line or circle to indicate where players can kick a Jegi.