Sinjska alka

The Alka [a ː lka ] is a knight tournament, which takes place every year since 1715 to commemorate the victory of Croatian rider on the Ottoman attackers in Sinj. It is held annually on the first weekend in August. The Alka thereby takes place always on Sundays, with the Heats " Bara " and " Coja " fall on the preceding Friday and Saturday.

Due to the centuries-old tradition, this jousting of professionals are considered as a regional ethnographic heritage. The Alka- knight games are based on a historical event.

On the coat of arms of Sinj is a participant in the game, called " Alkar " mapped. On his shield you see the " Alka ".

The term alkali is derived from the Turkish word " halka " what metal ring means.

Overview

The Alka consists of two concentric iron rings, which are connected with three iron rods. Participants must aim at the horse riding with the lance on the Alka. For a hit in the central ring, there are three points. Results in the upper third of bringing two in the bottom two -thirds of one point each.

The Alkar, which has the most points after three rounds is the winner. If two or more Alkare have the same score, more rounds will run until one reaches the higher score. In the history of Alka such extensions have already been held. Some went on for days.

According to the traditional statutes exclusively members of the community Alkar from Sinj can participate in this game Knights. A further requirement is that the Alkar and whose parents were in Sinj and the area along the Cetina and are resident there. The most famous " Alai - CAUS " is Ivan Zorica.