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Mahjong gaining popularity
Old-school hobbies like Mahjong are making a comeback. FOX 13's Heather Healy shows us what it is all about.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Many "grandma hobbies" are making a comeback, from needlepointing to sourdough bread making and now, to Mahjong.
"Mahjong, it's such a fabulous social game. It is joyful. It is fun. It is mentally stimulating, but it is friendly. Everybody craves connection," said Gaia Banovich, owner of Master your Mahjong. "Everybody wants to get together in person and get away from being in front of TV and Mahjong gives you the opportunity to get with your friends, with your neighbors, with your family, and have a couple of hours of fun and a little bit of strategic puzzle putting together," she added.
The backstory:
Mahjong originated from China, but it has made a big splash here in the United States.
"Mahjong, it's a social tile game where you are collecting matching tiles to create a combination that gives you a winning hand. And it is a great combination of strategies. But it does give you this opportunity to get together with friends, maybe compete a little bit, a little on the competitive side, and then when you win, you say Mahjong, and merriment ensues, and you start a new game," Banovich said.
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And the meaning of Mahjong: "Chattering of sparrows. So there is one tile in every set where there is a bird depicted on that tile," she added.
As a regular deck of cards has a set of 52 cards, Mahjong is played with multiple tiles.
"There are 152 tiles in the American Mahjong set, and you can have sets that are very economical. You can buy sets online that are very economical and now, because Mahjong is incredibly popular, many, many more brands are making Mahjong sets, and you can spend a lot of money or just a little bit," she said.
Whether you’re just beginning, or a long-time player, Mahjong is sure to have you hooked from the very start.
"I say in my classes, if you can count to nine, you can play Mahjong. And we all can count to nine, and we can all learn and play Mahjong," Banovich concluded.
What you can do:
Click here if you are interested in classes or more information on Mahjong.
The Source: Sources for this web article were gathered by conducting in-person interviews and the Master your Mahjong website.