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Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling
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Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling has been surrounded with tradition for
almost 650 years. It was actively participated by media, folk-dance
groups, artists, thousands of spectators and statesmen both from
Turkey and all over the world.
The Kirkpinar Wrestling contests
happen in the field known as Sarayici Er Meydan within Sarayici and
this year was the 646th contest. The Kirkpinar Wrestling contest
usually held at the end of June and at the beginning of July and it
lasted for a week. The Kirkpinar Wrestling contest was initiated by
visiting the graves of the wrestlers Adaly Halil and Kara Emin in
Kaleyici with a prayer service. The participants go to Sarayiçi
after they pay homage to the late wrestlers followed with a
magnificent ceremony. The wrestlers emerge on the field and act the
warming up movements recognized as pesrev which bear the resemblance
of the way an eagle flaps its wings when it is about to lunged its
prey. Then they do the traditional gesture of greeting that involves
knocking their right hand on the ground and touching it with their
breast and forehead. This action expresses a message to their
opponent stating “You are such a great wrestler that I am not worthy
to be a part of the earth you walk upon”.
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During the Ottoman times, this three day event took place every year
in the village of r
Edirne.
Now, this village is already a part of Greece and named Samona, this
is the reason why the Kirkpinar Wrestling Contest is held in
Sarayici in Edirne instead. Wrestlers from all over Turkey make ready for this event
throughout the preceding year. The fields wherein the contest will
be held turn into a colorful and animated fair ground that was
filled with restaurants, tea houses and side shows.
Wrestler
contestants dress in breeches known as kispet that was made of
leather from cow or goat’s skin and then they oil their skin with
olive oil before each bout. Wrestling tournament was opened by the
aga; this is the person who tenders the largest sum for the
tournament ram. Wrestlers were group into ten categories according
to their previous experience and track record in the competition.
The categories are bas gure, bas alti, buyuk orta, buyuk boy, kucuk
boy, deste buyuk boy, deste orta boy, deste kuyuk boy and tesvik.
Bas gure is the highest category that was held in the last day of
the tournament. The two wrestlers who make it to the final match
will get the chance to win the Gold. This match usually last for
several hours. Wrestlers who win in three consecutive years will be
awarded of belt made from 1450grams of gold from the municipality of
Edirne. There is one consolation given to the losers of this event ,
the chance to try another luck next tournament.
The municipality of
Edirne has started to organize this event every year since 1946. Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling is the enduring tradition of Turkish and
considered the sports of their ancestors. Kirkpinar is the place
that shows the Turks bravery that has been put into writing, their
courage that has been told and where the Turks power has been
revealed all over the world in centuries.
Aside from the combat, the festival attracts gypsies from around the
Middle East and Eastern Europe. This festival has vibrant light
springs up outside the arena. Most visitors were worn out in
cheering and hooting fighters. They let themselves be involved and
be pleased with the sights and sounds of the Bohemian behavior.
Why do they have to apply oil anyway?
For many years, the trainees of these sports have been equipped
within religious settlements. The initial wrestling sketches were
discovered in Egypt in Benin Hassan temple, which was built five
thousand years ago
In Central Asia, religious men called "shamans," and "dai" agreed to
involved themselves in wrestling. Like Turkish Kirkpinar and
Japanese Sumo Wrestling, which put back the religious patterns of
the Ottoman Empire, wrestlers are molded up in sacred settings which
called "tekke" for seven hundred years. They believe that man is not
only made up of flesh but the other half of the human equation is
the spirit and the spiritual being so, wrestling without the
spiritual relationship has been believed to be destructive for the
perfection of the human character.
The people from Anatolia spent time applying olive oil on to their
bodies, continued to wrestle with their oiled bodies, and an
innovative style of wrestling rooted from this order: "oil
wrestling." Wrestlers with oil are an implication of the importance
of "balance" in such competition.
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