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Javelin - Jareed game
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Jereed (cirit)is a customary
sport in Turkey. It was an outdoor game on horseback in which the
goal of the game is to make points by tossing a blunt wooden javelin
at the rival team’s horsemen. Jereed is an essential sporting and
ceremonial game that was brought from Central Asia to Anatolia for
the duration of westward migration in the start of the 11th century.
And in 16th century, it became as a war game by the Ottoman Turks.
Then the game continued to became popular to all parts of the empire
as an important Ottoman war game.
It was also played to improve the
cavalry attack and defense skills of the Ottoman armies. But in
1826, Mahmut II forbids Jereed for its condition as a risky game.
Today, Jereed game is not as popular as it once was. It was continue
to play only on the occasions of weddings and holidays. This sport
is a contest that shows off bravery in all corners of Turkey.
Cultural folkloric societies are attempting to keep this traditional
sport alive by organizing local tournaments. This traditional game
is still active in the country of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan
and other Asian countries inhabited by people with Turkish origin.
Jereed is a way of developing equestrian skills that involves two
teams of horsemen; each was equipped with dried poplar stick. These
sticks are 70-100cm long and 2-3cm in diameter with rounded ends.
Originally, these sticks were heavier and thicker but to lessen the
risk of injured players they now prefer sticks made up of poplar
wood which is lighter when it was dried. The two teams were line up
facing one another on the field; each player has a distance of about
100 meters from the next player. Jereed players were dressed in
regional costumes and mount their horses. The cavub signals the
start of the game and introduces each player to the spectators with
words of praise. By tradition, at the start of the game the youngest
rider will be the one to trot in the direction of the opposing team.
At the distance of 10-15meters, he tosses his jereed stick at one of
the players. Concurrently, he turns his horse back and tries to
reach the safety of his own side, chased by the other player with a
stick on his hand. The essence of the game is to chase and flee
while trying to hit an opponent with a stick.
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This game really
requires skills and sportsmanship. If the player hit the horse
instead of the rider is against the rule and a sign of inexperienced
player so the offender is automatically sent off the field. The
referees of the game are also a former jereed players will count the
numbers of hits and at the end of the game will declare the winning
team.
Well-trained jereed players seldom failed in hitting an
opponent and are also skilled to prevent the hits themselves by
bending low, suspending down from one side of the horse and other
acts of acrobacy. Part of the skill rests in training the horses so
they can play their significant role in the conclusion of the game.
The two teams have a traditional etiquette formation. Care should
always take into consideration not to put players in bad terms in
opposing teams and players who show deliberately aggressive behavior
during a match will be blacklisted.
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After the jereed game, the
organizers of the said event will host dinner and give the awards to
the victorious team. In this game, if the player dies in the field,
he will be deemed to lose his life in a battle as a sacrificial
victim and his relatives do not take legal action against the player
unless the public case is set off by court and a legal trial is
done. For that reason, before the game starts if they are known
aggression between the players they can be thrown out of the
tournament or they can be submitted to the same team by the elder
people of the locality or by the referees.
Jereed matches strike
like lighting, played by riders who rush toward each other in clouds
of dust, hauling wooden javelins. Jereed players are heroic figures
that can be also compared to the owners of the fighting owners at
least in their own way of thinking. The popularity of this game
represents the determination of the Turks not to lose their renowned
distinctiveness.
Today, rules of the game were modified and an
official federation was founded and University of
Erzincan began
offering formal training for this kind of sports for hopeful
players. Though there were those times that Turks have forgotten to
ride toward the victory of Jereed, now they are learning to enjoy
this game again.
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