The traditional oily wrestling competitions “Kırkpınar”, which have been held since the capture of Edirne in 1361 until present are accepted as a traditional festivity. Thousands of wrestling-lovers from all over the country and from abroad stream to Sarayiçi to watch the wrestling competition during the last three days of the festivity, which is organized usually at the end of June or the beginning of July.
“The Kaabe (sacred place) of the oily wrestling” – Sarayiçi according to the words of one Grand Champion Huseyin from Tekirdag has become the real arena for the strongest wrestlers in Turkey, who
try their luck here for centuries on end and if they win, they proudly bear the title of Grand Champion Wrestler. As a sport of our ancestors, the oily wrestling, the red-ended candles, the “kuspet” – traditional leather shorts, the dances, the Aga – the Chairman of the games, the sounds of the drum and the zurna and the golden belts, having preserved their authenticity during seven centuries, were included in the UNESCO Unique Cultural Heritage list in 2011.