EU & International Relations Office of Municipality of Edirne of T.R.

During the expeditions of Ghazi Orhan to conquer Rumelia in 1346, his brother Süleyman Pasha accompanied with 40 soldiers rushes into Domuzhisar in Byzantium. They capture the city with a sudden attack. The leader troop consists of 40 raiders comes back after capturing of other castles and stops for a rest in Samona which is located inside borders of Greece today. 40 heroes wrestle there. Two brothers called Ali and Selim can’t manage to beat each other for hours.

Later in a day of Hıdrellez, same couple wrestled again on Ahıköy grassland. Although they had wrestled all day, brother wrestlers couldn’t beat each other again and continued to wrestle during the night under the light of candles and flashlight. However, both wrestlers died on the wrestling area without beating each other.
After the revolution of Turkey, wrestling activities has been organised in Sarayici site of Edirne since 1924. Kırkpınar Oily Wrestling was organised by Kırkpınar Agas until 1928. They always provided the awards of wrestlers and did the honours of guests. However, nobody was a volunteer to be an Aga because of financial difficulties in the country in 1928. So Turkish Red Crescent and Society for the Protection of Children accepted to support the organisation of wrestling activity and honouring guests. Historical Oily Wrestling has been organised by Edirne Municipality since 1946.

Kisbet: The main costume that pehlivans-wrestlers wear below the belt while they were wrestling is called kisbet. It is made of the leather of buffalo or calf. The waistline of a kisbet is 4 fingers wide and thick. This part of a kisbet is called “kasnak” and rounded by a thick rope. The part situated under the knee is called “paça”. A pat called “paçabent” is placed between the body and paça. The leather is covered on this pad and fastened with a rope tightly. If the lower part of the trouser leg doesn’t fasten tightly, wrestlers can be defeated easily through fingers of opponent wrestler. Kisbet is kept upon being cleaned and oiled in “zembil”, which is a kind of sack made of wattle after the wrestling.

Zembil: Kisbet is carried and kept in a bag made of wattle and called “zembil”. It can be understood that a pehlivan has left wrestling if he hang up his zembil on to the wall.

Oiling Up: Pehlivans-wrestlers are oiled up with olive oil to make holding difficult. Coming by the kettle filled with olive oil and water, pehlivans oil up on the wrestling ground. They oil up alternately their left shoulders, chests, arms and kisbets with the right hand. Oiling up continues with the left hand in the same way. According to the traditions, pehlivans oil up the backs of each other by the kettle. Oilmen, touring the field with oil jugs, supplies oil for pehlivans who demand oiling up during the wrestling. In order to go for oil, a pehlivan needs his opponent’s toleration.

Drums and Clarions: Drums and clarions have a tune that is unique to Kirkpinar. Musicians playing for the oily wrestling should know tunes of wrestling very well and be able to balance rhythm of the music according to course of wrestling.

Peshrev: Peshrev is harmonious warming activities before starting to wrestle. The peshrev that encourage the struggle of pehlivans in a ceremonial way gives great pleasure to the audience and cheers up pehlivans. Pehlivans get ready their muscles, breath, heart and brain for the wrestling by peshrev. Pehlivans coming to grassland start doing peshrev by swinging their arms and clapping their hands. During the peshrev, pehlivans knell down and touch to the ground firstly and then to their lips and forehead lately three times. After finishing this ritual, pehlivans jump up while yelling that “Hadi Bre Pehlivan”. Pehlivans touch lower parts of their opponents’ kisbet, caress their backs and hold their napes and hands after walking outward and inward facing one another. Consequently, pehlivans start to wrestle.

Auctioneer (Cazgırlık): The auctioneer is the person who introduces the participating pehlivans to the audience, to their opponents and referees and also gives a start to the wrestling. The auctioneer, called “Salavatçı” specifies the properties of pehlivans who are matched with draw or by a referee; tells their strong aspects, playing styles and nicknames saying appropriate prayers and verses. Prayers are changed relating to regions. Auctioning passes with the tradition of master-apprentice relationship to new generations, which is similar with being a pehlivan. The famous auctioneers are Sadık Hoca (Atılgan), the imam of the Ayşekadın Mosque in Edirne and Şirin Mustafa. All pehlivans visit the cemetery of pehlivans and listen the “Mevlit” that is an Islamic poem on Friday, which is the first day of the wrestling. Later they all go to the Sarayici site and start to wrestle begining from youngster pehlivans with the prayer of the auctioneer.

Master Pehlivan: Master pehlivan is a wrestler who wins the biggest award and couldn’t be beated by any of his components. The pehlivan is awarded with this title for one year. If a pehlivan awarded with this title for 3 years successively, he owns the Golden Belt forever.

Kirkpinar Aga: The institution of being Aga is one of the principles of Kirkpinar Wresling. Kirkpinar Aga used to invite pehlivans to wrestle, organize competitions, honour the guests and supply their accommodation and food, provide the awards for wrestlers and be responsible of ensuring that the wrestling is carried out according to the traditions and custom. However, because of the impossibility of supplying all the needs mentioned above by a Kirkpinar Aga, municipalities started to finance the wrestling and organize it relating with an activity plan.

Golden Belt: It is the biggest award that is given to the master Pehlivan of the wrestling. The master pehlivan owns the golden belt for one year. However, if a pehlivan awarded as master pehlivan for 3 years successively, he owns the golden belt forever. Today municipalities provide golden belts.

Red Bottomed Candle: The symbol of invitation to Kirkpinar is the red-bottomed candle. Hanging red-bottomed candle to common places in towns and villages, the public used to be invited to the Kirkpinar. Red-bottomed candles used to be the only way for invitation.