Katori Housie: Kitty Party Housie Game With a Twist
Katori Housie is a normal round of Housie (tambola) for a kitty party, except every lady must keep an empty steel katori balanced upside down on her head the whole time she plays. You win the usual way, by claiming Jaldi 5, a line or full house first, but only if your katori is still on your head when you claim. The crazy twist: if your katori falls, your ticket with all its marks passes to the lady on your right, and whenever the host shouts "Baraat aa gayi!" everyone must stand up, do three thumkas and sit down again, katori and all. It needs only Housie tickets, pens and steel katoris, so any kitty can play it today.
Katori Housie in pictures
What do you need to play Katori Housie?
- One Housie (tambola) ticket per lady
- One pen per lady
- One empty steel or plastic katori per lady (never glass)
- Number chits 1 to 90 in a bowl for the host, or the host's usual number board
- A small prize for Jaldi 5, each line and full house
How to play Katori Housie, step by step
- Give every lady a Housie ticket and a pen, and seat everyone in a circle so each lady has a clear neighbour on her right.
- Every lady places an empty steel katori upside down on her head. From now on her hands may only touch her ticket and pen.
- The host draws a number chit from the bowl and calls it out. Any lady who has that number on her ticket crosses it out, without letting her katori fall.
- If a lady's katori falls, she puts it back on, and her ticket, with every mark on it, goes to the lady on her right. That lady now plays two tickets.
- Every few numbers, the host shouts "Baraat aa gayi!" and every lady must stand, do three thumkas, and sit down again with her katori still on her head.
- Ladies claim Jaldi 5, top, middle and bottom lines and full house as usual. A claim only counts if the katori is on her head while the host checks the ticket.
Rules: how do you win?
- Holding the katori with a hand to save it means you skip crossing the next number you get.
- Doing fewer than three thumkas on "Baraat aa gayi!" means you may not cross the next called number.
- A wrong claim is a bogey and that ticket is cancelled, as in normal Housie.
- Full house with the katori on your head wins the top prize.
Fun twists to make it crazier
- For the last 10 numbers, every lady stacks two katoris on her head.
- When the host shouts "Bidaai!", everyone shifts one seat to the right, katori on, and carries on with her own ticket.
- A lady whose katori falls must sing the next number instead of the host calling it.
Tips for the host
- Use only steel or plastic katoris, never glass or anything heavy.
- Keep the circle loose with a little space between chairs so the thumkas do not bump anyone.
- Call numbers a little faster than usual; the hurry is what makes katoris fall.
- Ladies with neck or back trouble can balance the katori on their lap instead and still play.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Katori Housie?
It works for 8 to 20 ladies. Everyone plays at once with her own ticket, so a bigger kitty only makes it louder.
What do you need to play Katori Housie?
Housie tickets, pens, one empty steel or plastic katori per lady and number chits or a number board for the host. Nothing else.
How is Katori Housie different from normal Housie?
The numbers and claims are the same, but every lady keeps a katori on her head. If it falls, her ticket goes to the lady on her right, and on "Baraat aa gayi!" everyone does three thumkas.
How do you win Katori Housie?
Claim Jaldi 5, a line or full house first, with your katori still on your head while the host checks your ticket.
Is Katori Housie a good game for a shaadi theme kitty party?
Yes. The "Baraat aa gayi!" thumka break gives it a shaadi feel, and since every kitty already plays Housie, it is an easy way to make the usual round crazy.
After the game, play Housie
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