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One of the essential components of the Kırkpınar wrestling contests is the institution of magnanimity. In the past, Kırkpınar Lords were the ones to call the wrestlers to wrestle, arrange the contests, entertain the guests, provide food and accommodation, ensure the wrestling contests to take place in accordance with the customs and the traditions, give awards...
However, today, because the “Kırkpınar Lord” cannot afford all of these activities, and because it's been carried to an activity status, most of the expenditure is covered by the Municipalities.
Although today the Kırkpınar Wrestling is organized by the Edirne Municipality, Kırkpınar Agha, a historical personality, is still preponderant.
Until the Republic, Kirkpinar Aghas were responsible from all the wrestling organizations. Being a Kirkpinar Agha, one of the interesting sides of the Kırkpınar Wrestling, meant to be an authorized person who called the Wrestlers, organized the contests, entertained the guests, provided bed and board, secured the wrestling be organized in accordance with the customs, gave awards and took security order.
A week before the wrestling, Kırkpınar Agha started to have the tents of the Agha, the Wrestlers and the guests been built around the field. Two days before the wrestling, boilers, containers and cooks came and started to boil water and to prepare for the guests.
20 – 25 days before Kırkpınar, Kırkpınar Agha sent red candles everywhere. These candles were hung to the ceilings of the coffee houses in the cities, towns and villages. Their meaning was the invitation for the people to Kırkpınar.
Turkish people, who tried to recover during the first times of the Republic in remuneration for this responsibility of the Agha, could not deal with the Kırkpınar organization between 1930 and 1950. Thus, the Red Crescent and the Society for the Protection of Children undertook the responsibility of the Kırkpınar Wrestling organization equally. Between these dates, the authority and the responsibility of Kırkpınar Agha were conducted by these associations.
After 1950, the Edirne Municipality started to undertake the organization of the Kırkpınar Wrestling. The person who gave the most prices for the ram under the hammer became the Kırkpınar Agha symbolically.
The Duties and the Authorities of Kırkpınar Aghas
The duties and the authorities of Kırkpınar Aghas include these rudiments:
To give the price of the ram (The money which he promises in the auction),
To attend the Liberation Day,
On the last two days of the wrestling, to offer meal to the guests, the protocol and the wrestlers,
To follow the benefits of the wrestlers and to protect them,
In short, to undertake all the responsibility during the wrestling period.
After 1984, the duties and the authorities were set by the regulations by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This means to undertake the moral protectorate of the wrestlers and to be the natural member of the organizing committee.
The Clothing of the Agha
The Kırkpınar Agha dresses as “Rumelia Region”. There is “serpus” on his head. This is some kind of a hat. The agha wears baggy trousers. His shirt is called as “Camadan”, he wears “Waistcoat” on Camadan. The camadan, waistcoat, baggy trousers and the cloth tied on the fez are all separately embroidered. The agha wears flat heeled lacquer shoes (leather shoes). The agha, who watches the wrestling in his tent with his guests, holds a coarse 99-rosary made of amber in his hand.
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