Sinjska Alka
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The Sinjska alka () is an equestrian competition held in the
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n town of
Sinj Sinj () is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. As of the 2021 Croatian census, 2021 census, the population was 23,500 people, of which 10,800 inhabited its urban core. Sinj is k ...
. It commemorates a Croatian– Venetian victory in the Ottoman–Venetian war in the night of August 14, 1715, in which around 700 professional Venetian soldiers and 100
Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
defended Sinj against an Ottoman army led by Mehmed-paša Ćelić of at least 40,000. Because of this victory, the Venetians retained control over Sinj and integrated it into the
Venetian Dalmatia Venetian Dalmatia () refers to the territories of Dalmatia under the rule of the Republic of Venice, mainly from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Dalmatia was first sold to Venice in 1409 but Venetian Dalmatia was not fully consolidated until 1420, ...
in accordance to the terms of the Treaty of Passarowitz signed in 1718. The people of Sinj believed that the Lady of Sinj miraculously drove away Ottomans, thus helping them to defend their town. On the national holiday of the
Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...
(''Velika Gospa'') on August 15, in honor of Lady of Sinj, a procession is organised, during which horsemen in full regalia (''Alkari'') parade a painting of Our Lady of Sinj throughout the town streets. The Alka itself is an equestrian competition in which various horsemen riding at full
gallop The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait po ...
aim their lances at a hanging metal ring (''alka''), and are awarded points according to which sector of the ring they are able to pierce. In 2010, the Alka was inscribed in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...
.


Objective

Alka is the name of the target used in the tournament; it is made of two
concentric In geometry, two or more objects are said to be ''concentric'' when they share the same center. Any pair of (possibly unalike) objects with well-defined centers can be concentric, including circles, spheres, regular polygons, regular polyh ...
rings connected by three equally spaced bars. The target is hung on a rope in the middle of the race track. The contestant (''Alkar'') rides his horse, in full
gallop The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait po ...
, down the track and tries to hit the central ring with his spear. Depending on which part of the alka he hits, he receives from 1 to 3 points, and no points if he misses. If, however, the alkar sends the alka in the air away from its holder and hits any part of it on its way down, he will be awarded 1-3 points for a target hit and an additional three points, thus increasing the maximum to 6 points in one run. The contest consists of three rounds.


Participants

Only men born in ''Cetinska krajina'' (area along the valley of river
Cetina The Cetina () is a river in southern Croatia. It has a length of and its basin covers an area of . From its source, Cetina descends from an elevation of above sea level to the Adriatic Sea. It is the most water-rich river in Dalmatia.Naklada Nap ...
in the vicinity of Sinj) can take part in the Alka. It is considered a great privilege to participate in the tournament. The '' vojvoda'' ("Duke") of Alka is a ceremonial title representing the commander of the Alkars. It is a great honour to become the alkar ''vojvoda'', and only the most notable men from ''Cetinska krajina'' become one. The costumes worn by the alkar men are the same that were worn by the warriors in the 18th century. Each alkar is accompanied by a
squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' ...
(''alkarski momak'') who is dressed in a folk costume of old, wearing several kinds of
weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
s ( yatagan,
flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...
musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...
and
rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
, mace,
shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...
). Alkars ride horses bred, kept or maintained almost exclusively in Alkars' Stud.


History

Sinjska Alka was created in the early 18th century as a continuation of knightly competitions that were held across the
Venetian Dalmatia Venetian Dalmatia () refers to the territories of Dalmatia under the rule of the Republic of Venice, mainly from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Dalmatia was first sold to Venice in 1409 but Venetian Dalmatia was not fully consolidated until 1420, ...
:
Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...
, Imotski and
Makarska Makarska () is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, located on a horseshoe-shaped bay bet ...
. The oldest written mention of Alka are in the three
sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...
s and an
ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...
written by the Italian poet
Julije Bajamonti Julije (Julio) Bajamonti ( Italian: ''Giulio Bajamonti''; 4 August 1744 – 12 November 1800) was a medical historian, writer, translator, encyclopedist, historian, philosopher, and musician from the city of Split in present-day Croatia. His wi ...
in 1784. The oldest official file about Alka is a letter of the first Austrian Commissioner for the Austria Dalmatia Count Raymond Thurn that he wrote to the commander of
Sinj Sinj () is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. As of the 2021 Croatian census, 2021 census, the population was 23,500 people, of which 10,800 inhabited its urban core. Sinj is k ...
Josip Grabovac on February 10, 1798. In the letter Count Thurn informs Commander Grabovac that the Palatine Commission from
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
"approved further maintenance of Alka in Sinj on the last day of the carnival". In the past Alka was organised at a different time than today, occasionally twice a year (in years: ''1798'' (the last day of the carnival and on 9 May) and in ''1818 ''(on 15 May and 6 July). In 1834 it was organised on 9 February, in 1838 on April 19, and in 1855 on October 4 because of
cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
. Alka is organised regularly on August 18, which is the birthday of Emperor
Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
, since 1849, as determined by the Statute of 1902. Since then, Alka is organised in August (and under the new rules), in the first third of the month, so that Bara, Čoja and Alka could be organised in the same month. In 1818, during his trip through Dalmatia, the Emperor Francis II visited Sinj, and the locals organized a special Alka in his honor. The Emperor awarded the winner a brilliant ring worth 800 forints. Also, by 1818, Vienna was rewarding the winner a prize of 100 florins, and this was probably main reason for the continuation of this knightly tournament. When the Emperor
Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
rose to power in 1848 he established the award in the amount of 100 forints. From 1902 to 1914 prize awarded to winner was 4000 crowns, and from 1914 to 1918 it was 600 crowns. Alka was repeatedly organised during the visits of rulers or other very important people. On March 28, 1842, Alka was organised in honor of the Austrian Archduke Albrecht during his visit to Sinj, and in the same year on October 22 in honor of the Austrian Archduke Franz Karl. On May 18, 1875, Emperor
Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
visited Sinj. In his honor people of Sinj organised extraordinary solemn Alka. The winner was Mate Bonić. The Emperor awarded him a gold ring. Alka was organised four times outside of Sinj: in 1832 in
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
, in 1922 in
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, 1946 in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
and in 2017 in
Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...
. Vicko Grabovac was the longest-running Alka Duke with 28 commands over Alka festivities (1908-1936). Bruno Vuletić was Alka Duke 21 times (1964-1985) and Ivan Vuletić 17 times (1872 - 1894).


Rules

Sinjska alka is an individual equestrian competition. It is held on Sunday of a first full weekend in August every year. At least 11 and at most 17 horseback riders, Alkars can participate. The Alkar has to pass the racecourse length 160 m in full gallop in less than 12 seconds and try to hit the center of a small iron ring called alka. The alka is a ring made of two concentric wrought-iron hoops connected by three equally spaced spokes. The inner ring has a diameter of 35 mm, and the outer of 132 mm. The rims and spokes of alka are 6.6 mm thick and have a pointed edge on the side facing the Alkar. A spring clip on top of the outer ring is used to hang it on the rope. The alka is at 3.32 m height, measured from its center to the ground. The Custodian of the Alka (''najmeštač alke'') and his assistant have the responsibility for the proper placement and height of the Alka; the Custodian steadies the pendant ring with a 3.22 m long stick and simultaneously controls the height of it, while his assistant tightens the rope on which the ring hangs. The aim of the game is to collect as many points in three attempts. During the race, all equipment has to remain on the horse and Alkar, and not one single piece may be allowed to fall off. If this happens without the Alkar being aware of it, he must subsequently seek permission from the Alka Duke for another attempt. However, if an Alkar notices that any item of equipment has fallen off, he must run through with his "spear lowered" without hitting the Alka.


See also

* National symbols of Croatia


References


Further reading

*


External links


Sinjska alka
official website
Museum of Sinjska alka
{{Authority control Annual events in Croatia Croatian traditions Equestrian sports competitions in Europe Recurring events established in 1715 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity History of Dalmatia Equestrian sports in Croatia 1715 establishments in Europe Mounted games Jousting Summer in Croatia Sinj