The Colorful Sinjska Alka in Croatia

(The article was first published on ToCroatia.net.)

Sinjska Alka was originated from a miraculous battle in 1715: 700 Sinj defenders protected their city against the siege of a Turkish army of 40,000-60,000 soldiers. On August 15, the Sinj soldiers achieved the most glorious feat in their history. The first Sunday of every August has been celebrated with Sinjska Alka in memory of this historic victory ever since.

Sinjska Alka is highly regarded in Croatia. It not only commemorates an important battle but also becomes the oldest festival in Croatian history. The chivalric legacy, picturesque ceremonies and colorful costumes have kept Sinjska Alka a rare reminder of the greatest chivalry tradition in Europe. The competition, officiated by senior government officials, is broadcasted live all over the country. Local celebrities and visitors from all over Europe go to Sinj to participate in the living heritage. We met a TV hostess when we shared the fun in Sinj.

“Alka” literally means “ring” and looks like a Mercedes Benz logo with a small ring in the center. The metal ring with two concentric circles and three bars in between is the target the knights have to strike with their 3-meter lances. Alka, only 13.17 cm in diameter in the outer circle, is hung in the air 3.32 meters above the ground whilst each knight rides at full speed for 160 meters to hit it. The judge determines the score when alka is taken from the lance. Hitting the inner circle (3.51 cm in diameter) earns 3 points, hitting the upper part between the two concentric circles score 2 points, hitting either of the remaining two segments between the two circles results in one point, and missing the target brings no score. The knight with the highest scores after three rounds of competition becomes the champion of the year.

The final of Alka takes place in the afternoon. When we arrived at a local tavern a little after 11:00 am, some tourists were already chatting and taking pictures with the local people dressed in traditional costumes. It is really hard to get a ticket for Alka. My husband was lucky enough to get a ticket with the help from his friends and watched the game in the auditorium once. But we did not get the tickets this time. Fortunately, a local friend of my husband owns a restaurant which stands right next to Alkarsko Trkaliste (the Alka Track). The terrace offered us a close look at the game. Being so well-located, the terrace attracted more and more people as the time for the final competition drew nearer. Tourists from all over Europe and other Croatian cities talked cheerfully while enjoying their beers. It was indeed a festive day.

Alka is special not just because of the game itself. The whole event still follows the chivalry tradition and ceremony which have lasted for hundreds of years. The knights are dressed in 18^th century costumes and accompanied by their own squires. These vigorous mustachioed squires march and lead the knights into the Alka Track. The game only begins until the procession line up and fire shots in front of the officiating guests. The squires do “serve” the knights in the game: helping the knights with everything they need and getting the lances ready for the game.

The winning knight, who becomes the hero of Sinj or even the whole country, not only returns to his hometown in glory but also goes down in history. The winner takes the tricolor Pennant for a victorious ride into the old city of Sinj, accepting a great ovation from the crowd on both sides of the main street. His name is recorded in golden letters in the Chronicle of Chivalrous Alkar (Tilting) Club. Antin Nikola Cerinić is the leading winner since the first record was entered in 1818. He won 12 times in 31 competitions between 1867 and 1900.

The champion has another important task: he is to fete all the participating knights. Having a knight winning the highest honor, the family members certainly try their best to complete this glorious mission.