These wrestlers are coated with oil before they face off

In Edirne, the festival of Krkpnar prepares its wrestlers in an immediately recognizable way: their bodies are coated with oil. They also wear leather pants called kspet. The fight thus has an appearance very far from that of a confrontation on a gym mat.

Oil is part of a set of gestures and roles. A master of ceremonies introduces the participants by evoking their names and qualities. Drums and wind instruments accompany the event. The wrestlers, called pehlivans, compete for a gold belt, while their learning is based on the relationship between master and student.

The UNESCO fact sheet also emphasizes qualities expected outside the fight: generosity, honesty and respect. We then understand why describing only slippery opponents would be incomplete. The festival features a body technique, but also an idea of the conduct that its practitioners must transmit. Visible victory does not sum up everything that is being played out.