Alka, a knight tournament!More about Alka tournament from Wikipedia The Alka is a knight tournament which has been held every first Sunday in the month of August in town of Sinj, Croatia since 1715, commemorating the victory over Ottoman Turkish invaders. This is also the name of object used in the tournament, made of two concentric rings (diameter of inner being 1,3819 in, and 5,1850 in of outer one) connected with three bars 120° apart. The object is hanged on a rope 10,89 feet above the race track. The contestant (called knights) rides his horse down the race track and tries to hit the central ring of of the object with his spear in full gallop. Depending of which part he hits, he receives from 1 to 3 points. The whole contest is made of three rounds.
Sinj tournament
Only men born in Sinjska krajina (city of Sinj and surrounding villages) can take part in tournament and it is considered a great privilege to participate in the tournament. The vojvoda of tournament is ceremonial title representing the commander of knights. It is a great honor to become knight vojvoda and only the most notable men from Sinjska krajina become one.
For the foreign visitor, the tournament is a picturesque remnant of the past, an opulently costumed pageant far removed from everyday life, a romantic flight from the traumas of our age. For the people of Sinj and the Cetina district, it is a recurring event, new each time. As such, it has become a kind of public manifestation, to be experienced every year a new, never aging, a part not only of history but of all time. You should vist this Sinj's famous event. How to get to Sinj. From Alka page to Central Dalmatia highlights page
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