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Oil Warriors: Kirkpinar Wrestling Festival
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Kirkpinar is part of Edirne, which was once the capital
of Turkey. Edirne is on the border of Greece, a gateway between
East and West.
History
The Turk's are the world's toughest wrestlers and they take
the art very seriously. In the 14th century when the son of
the second Ottoman Sultan was marching to battle with 40 warriors,
he would let them test their wrestling skills at rest stops.
In Erdine, two wrestled until they both died of exhaustion.
This contest has been held in Kirkpinar ever since in their
honour.
Wrestling in Turkey
The Turkish respect the Pehlivan (wrestler), his very
name means honest, brave and warrior like. Respect to the
Pehlivan comes from the warrior spirit and heroic nature of
the Turkish people. Wrestling is a serious and well paid art.
Each wrestler has their own style and will use an apprentice
to carry on their name after their retirement. Unlike the
highly regulated Olympic wrestling and highly stylised WWF,
Turkish wrestling remains largely unchanged since its establishment
over six centuries ago.
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What Happens at the Festival
The annual Kirkpinar Wrestling Championship is the domain
of warriors who rely on strength, technique and stamina. There
are no time limits and few forbidden moves in the wrestling
contest. The action continues until one is pinned or submits.
Contestants take to the field 20 pairs at a time.
Throughout the 3 day tournament, over a hundred drums of olive
oil are smeared over the festival contestants. Fighters as
young as four participate in the action before moving up the
ranks to "principle", the adult fighter. The fight
begins with Pesrev, the greasing of wrestlers in a
ritual combining prayer, chanting and stroking of the calves.
The final day of the festival is attended by Turkey's president,
a high honour to bestow on Edirne.
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Famous Wrestlers
Koca Yusaf is one of the great Wrestling legends. A preservation
order has been made on the 450 Kilo rock found in his garden
which he used during training. A modern day wrestling hero
is Ahmet Asci who has one the tournament 8 years in
a row and won the coveted title of Bas Pehlivan (Top
wrestler).
How to Wrestle
The leather belt worn by the wrestlers is called a "Kisbet"
which can weigh up to 13 Kg. The Kisbet was originally made
of water buffalo. In oil wrestling, most games are made on
the kisbet. The wrestlers try to put their hands through the
kisbet of their opponents who will try and make it as gap
free as possible. The pehlivan that conquers his opponent's
kisbet can control him this way by grabbing the lower end
of his pants ('paca' ) and this way can beat his opponent
with the game called 'paca kazik'. Moves can be highly
dirty and involve battering your opponent around the head,
pulling their ears and even pushing your hand into your opponents
shorts and squeezing their testicles!
Forty drummer beat out war like rhythms to build up the testosterone.
Until 1975 years ago, there was no time limit to wrestling
in Kirkpinar, fights could last more than one day. In 1975,
wrestling was limited to 40 minutes in the baspehlivan category.
If there is no winner within these limits, the pehlivans wrestle
for 15 minutes with scores recorded.
Gold and cash are the prizes awarded, the main winner receives
a gold belt made of 14 carat gold worth $25,000.
Festivities in the town of Edirne are lively during the festival
until the early hours. Bellydancing, traditional music from
the drum and flute and local cuisine provide a wealth of entertainment
outside of the arena.
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