It's not what you think. Besides, I'm not sure a man would stand a chance against an angry camel. No, this is the winter pass-time of pitching two dromedaries against each other in a fight to the ...flee.
It's not as bad as it sounds. Camels are fairly passive creatures. This isn't like cock or dog fighting. This is the blood sport equivalent of two kids shoving each other in the playground until one runs crying to the teacher.
So how do you get a camel fired up and ready to rumble? You show it a lady camel, of course. Two males watch a female being paraded in front of them. They froth at the mouth and a fight ensues. A similar scene can be found in bars up and down the country.
The real attraction of a camel fight for the spectators is the copious consumption of alcohol. The nudging camels are nothing compared to the fighting in the stands. Men wearing the traditional flat caps and scarves binge on the fruits of an open grill whilst quaffing raki. The real excitement comes from drunken spectators scrambling to avoid the hooves of fleeing camels. Fun for the whole family (as long as your an adult male).
2 comments:
Really glad I seen this. I am going to my first camel wrestling show on the 24th Feb. Bit nervous though as a friend told me that last year one of the camels had its face ripped off.
I'm in the UK at the moment, but I also live in Kusadasi. My hubby went to the camel wrestling in Kustur at the weekend and said it was very entertaining. The circuit starts again in March I think, with tournaments in Selcuk, Incilova, Germencik and other places in the Aydin area. It is a big annual event.
I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about it, but reading your article has helped me to understand what it's all about.
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