Sinjska Alka
The Sinjska Alka is a Croatian knight game and tournament which is held in Sinj every year since 1715.
The tournament commemorates the victory over Ottoman Empire administration in Sinjska Krajina (the area around Sinj). The costumes or uniforms worn by Alkar resemble the uniforms worn by the warriors of the time (click on photos to see large images)
The aim of the game is of the horseman (locally called Alkar) in full gallop to hit the Alka that hungs on a rope above the race track. The tournamet consists of three rounds in which Alkar horseman, depending on which part of the Alka he hits, collects points. The value of each field is different – central ring brigs 3 points (u sridu), for top field 2 points are collected, while the lower left and right field each bring just 1 point.
The Alka is an iron object made up of two concentric rings connected with three bars. The smaller ring in 3.54 cm and the bigger one is 13.3 cm wide (see the image)
Traditionally, it is considered the great privilege and honour to participate in the tournament and for time being only man born in Sinjska Krajina can compete.
The tournament is held on the first Sunday of August – for more info check Alka home page: www.alka.hr
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