In October 2007, I visited Switzerland again. In the beautiful and quiet Swiss town of Atwell, I met the young Swiss girl Maris. She was tall and stocky, with beautiful blue eyes and thick blond hair. She is a Swiss women's amateur wrestler who won the 16th Swiss Women's Wrestling of the Year 2006. From her, I gained a lot of knowledge about world wrestling, especially Swiss wrestling rooted in traditional culture. I was very impressed by the rustic, beautiful Maris and the Swiss wrestling she was associated with.
Wrestling, a competitive sport derived from life, was popular in many parts of the world in ancient times. It is recognized as the oldest competitive sport. There are written records of wrestling in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Japan and China. When the ancient Olympic Games were born in 776 BC, wrestling was an exciting event, and it played an important role in the ancient Olympic Games.
Compared with the mediocre international wrestling, Swiss wrestling is full of pastoral flavor and primitive wildness. Like the somber Alpine horn and the folk songs like the sounds of nature, it is the most wonderful, most precious and most charming wealth in Swiss traditional culture.
Swiss wrestling originated in the 11th century. It was originally a competitive sport by farmers, herdsmen, butchers, construction workers and other handicraftsmen during or after labor. When strong men are together, they always want to compare who is the strongest. However, with the process of industrialization, the field work in groups disappeared, and naturally there was no wrestling that exudes primitive wildness. Ancient cultures and traditions are disappearing. In order to pass on these wealth, the Swiss people have used all their dedication and love for traditional culture to build islands far away from modern civilization. Swiss wrestling is one of them. In the Swiss modern wrestling, the traditional essence has basically been preserved, the only change is that this kind of sport has become a fixed program from the original random action. Every Sunday, thousands of people rush to watch the big and small wrestling matches, which are circles covered with thick sawdust, 5 meters in diameter. People dress casually, many even in work clothes and few wear ties. People get together haphazardly without any commercial intent. The titles of ladies and gentlemen disappear here, and there are only men and women full of life. People say hello directly with "you", avoiding the polite honorific. Alpine horns and yodellings echoed over the arena. Sausages were grilled in a simple tent set up by the side of the arena, and the strong smell of tobacco and grilled sausages filled the air. The Swiss flag fluttered in the wind on the field, without any commercials, without a bit of modernity. Even the simple tents only provide simple farm food. People casually gathered outside the wrestling ring, sipping cider, or talking loudly. For most Swiss, a Swiss wrestling match is a relaxation and enjoyment of mind and body.
Swiss wrestling is a form of gladiatorial combat regardless of weight class. During the game, players grabbing each other's underwear is not only allowed, but also written in the rules of the game. For this reason, during the competition, the players will deliberately put a pair of linen and extremely strong shorts on the outside of their trousers for their opponents to scratch. Each round lasts 5-12 minutes, with the opponent's shoulders on the ground for victory. If there is no winner or loser within the specified time, the points will be recorded. A wrestler gets 8-10 points in a round. A match consists of six rounds, and the one with the most points is the champion. From March to October every year, more than 120 competitions of various sizes are held in Switzerland, with a minimum of three venues and a maximum of more than five venues for each competition. Competitors compete one-on-one at the same time in the sawdust circle.
At the end of the competition, prizes will be awarded to the winners. The earliest prizes are household necessities. For example, wood, salt, farm implements, cattle, sheep, and in modern times, it is more inclined to commemorate items. Such as huge cowbells, exaggerated farm tools, etc. And the champion of a major wrestling event sometimes gets a young and robust bull. In Switzerland, there are currently about a few thousand wrestlers.
The Swiss are silently sticking to their traditions, keeping the wrestling sport rooted in life and traditional culture as authentic as possible to the extreme.
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