Arts, Craft & Skills

1912

Games - The Garden Gate

The Garden Gate is a very pretty game. A ring is formed of all the players except one, who stands in the middle. The others dance round her three times, and when they stop she begins to sing:

“Open wide the garden gate, the garden gate, the garden gate.
Open wide the garden gate and let me through.”

The circle then dances round her again, singing:

“Get the key of the garden gate, the garden gate, the garden gate,
Get the key of the garden gate and open and let yourself through.”

The girl inside the circle, pretending to sob, replies:

“I’ve lost the key of the garden gate, the garden gate, the garden gate,
I’ve lost the key of the garden gate, and cannot let myself through.”

But the dancers dance round and round her, singing:

“You may stop all night within the gate, within the gate, within the gate,
You may stop all night within the gate, unless you have strength to break through.”

The captive then rushes to the weakest part of the ring, and tries to break through by throwing her whole weight upon the clasped hand of the children, and generally contrives to break through, when another of the players takes the place in the middle.