Oil wrestling

Oil wrestling () is a type of sport in Turkey. It began as a folk sport but has since become a national sport. Oil wrestling has been happening in Turkey since at least the 14th century. The sport is also practised by Turkish people in Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Cyprus and Greece. Albanians and the Gorani from Kosovo and Albania also have a tradition of oil wrestling, It begain during the occupation by the Ottoman Empire. The Gorani hold an oil wrestling festival In  the city of Dragash each year.
 In Turkey 
Oil wrestling takes place all year in Turkey. The largest event is the Kirkpinar festival. It takes place in the city of Edirne, Turkey each summer. The Kirkpinar Festival has taken place in Edirne since 1361. The judges are normally men from the Romanlar communitiy of Turkey. The first  festival took place in 1346. At the festival, the best "pehlivan" (wrestler) is chosen.

Before the match, the wrestlers are covered in olive oil. This makes it hard to grab each other. It is common for the wrestlers to put their hand in the kispetof the other person. The kispet are pants made from the leather of a water buffalo. The cuffs of the pants are just below the knees The wrestlers put their hands in the pants of the other person or use the cuffs to get more leverage. The goal of the wrestling is to have the other person laying on the ground on their back. In the past, there was no time limit for matches. wrestlers could fight for days without a winner.  Modern matches have a time limit of 40 minutes. In the case of a tie, there is an additional 7 minute period.

 References 

 Other websites 

Oil wrestling photos at Shutterstock

Category:Turkish culture