Hunters bring along pigs they killed to Erdek liberation ceremony

BALIKESİR

A group of local hunters joined the 95th anniversary celebrations marking the liberation of the northwestern town of Erdek from Greek occupation during Turkey’s War of Independence, together with dead pigs that they hunted, Doğan News Agency reported on Sept. 25. 

Every year on Sept. 18, Erdek officials hold a ceremony to celebrate the 1922 liberation of the town, located in the province of Balıkesir. 

As part of events organized within the context of the commemoration, an award ceremony took place to honor the winners of the traditional competition to hunt the largest pig. 

The hunters brought the pigs they hunted in a truck to the ceremony ground, where they display them to the public. 

The hunters who ranked first, second, third, and fourth in the competition were presented with a shotgun as a prize as well as various pieces of hunting equipment.

The ceremony was attended by Erdek Deputy Mayor Hasan Yapakçı, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Erdek district head Kemal Kayan, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Erdek district head Metin Uysal, and many other guests. 

The War of Independence (1919-1923) was led by Turkish forces against the allied occupiers between 1919 and 1923 after the Ottoman Empire lost the World War I. One of the turning points of the war was when Greek forces were defeated heavily during the Great Offensive in 1922, leading to the Turkish troops reached the Aegean Sea on Sept. 9 with the recapture of the western province of İzmir. The offensive ended on Sept. 18, 1922 with the liberation of the towns of Erdek and Biga.