Kirkpinar oil wrestling
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The K1rkp1nar festival, now in its 648th year, was launched with a ceremony attended by Edirne Governor Mustafa Büyük, Edirne Mayor Hamdi Sedefci and other state officials at the Atatürk memorial in Kirkpinar on Monday. Dance groups performed folkdances during the ceremony, which also included a concert by Funda Arar, and a fireworks display in the evening.
The wrestling matches will begin on Friday after the arrival of Kirkpinar Aga (landlord), who symbolizes the chief of the competition, to Kirkpinar and a mevlid -- a congregational Muslim ceremony in which poetry celebrating the Prophet Muhammad is recited -- in Edirne's famous Selimiye mosque. After a parade, opening speeches will be delivered in Er Meydani (field of contest for brave men), where the wrestling will take place. A total of 2,000 wrestlers will participate in the competition this year.
The final match of the Kirkpinar oil wrestling competition will take place on July 5. This year's champion will receive TL 16,000. The wrestlers, who will compete in 13 categories, will be given gold, silver and bronze medals.
This year's competition will be followed by more than 200 members of the foreign press, including those from the US, France, Denmark, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Brazil. The matches will be broadcasted on Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) stations and wll be attended by President Abdullah Gül along with many other politicians and bureaucrats.
The Kirkpinar oil wrestling championship is the oldest wrestling festival in the world and has been held continuously since 1357 in Rumelia, the European part of the Ottoman Empire. Wrestlers wear tight, short, leather pants called kispet. Made of water buffalo leather, they weigh approximately 13 kilograms. The wrestlers cover their bodies with olive oil before the bouts begin.
source: todays zaman, http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=179629
The wrestling matches will begin on Friday after the arrival of Kirkpinar Aga (landlord), who symbolizes the chief of the competition, to Kirkpinar and a mevlid -- a congregational Muslim ceremony in which poetry celebrating the Prophet Muhammad is recited -- in Edirne's famous Selimiye mosque. After a parade, opening speeches will be delivered in Er Meydani (field of contest for brave men), where the wrestling will take place. A total of 2,000 wrestlers will participate in the competition this year.
The final match of the Kirkpinar oil wrestling competition will take place on July 5. This year's champion will receive TL 16,000. The wrestlers, who will compete in 13 categories, will be given gold, silver and bronze medals.
This year's competition will be followed by more than 200 members of the foreign press, including those from the US, France, Denmark, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Brazil. The matches will be broadcasted on Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) stations and wll be attended by President Abdullah Gül along with many other politicians and bureaucrats.
The Kirkpinar oil wrestling championship is the oldest wrestling festival in the world and has been held continuously since 1357 in Rumelia, the European part of the Ottoman Empire. Wrestlers wear tight, short, leather pants called kispet. Made of water buffalo leather, they weigh approximately 13 kilograms. The wrestlers cover their bodies with olive oil before the bouts begin.
source: todays zaman, http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=179629
02 Jul 2009 01:03
Post 2 of 2
Mehmet Ye_ilye_il wins the K1rkp1nar Wrestling Festival
A 648-year-old tradition, the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling and Culture Festival, ended yesterday in Edirne with President Abdullah Gül in attendance.
for video http://www.kirkpinar.com/home.php?link=anasayfa&dil=en
A 648-year-old tradition, the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling and Culture Festival, ended yesterday in Edirne with President Abdullah Gül in attendance.
for video http://www.kirkpinar.com/home.php?link=anasayfa&dil=en
06 Jul 2009 22:39
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