Guile Mardi wrestling or Gilani wrestling is a kind of popular event with special customs, which has strict rules and is ruled by the spirit of a warrior. This sport is played in Gilan and west of Mazandaran in Iran and is one of the most popular games in this region. Gile Mardi wrestling is considered the only traditional sport in a wide area west of Mazandaran and Gilan.
Traditionally, it is held at the end of summer when the agricultural work ends. Until recent times, wrestling between several athletes was a usually permanent feature of rural marriages.
The wrestling ceremony begins with a traditional parade or prayer of the wrestlers who greet the spectators and their competitors. In big competitions, the team of each village is subject to the strict hierarchy of the Beit Pahlavans and newcomers, and in the next order between the Pahlavans.
There is no weight classification and no time limit for the bouts, but wrestlers can ask the referee to stop if the bout is taking too long. The purpose of the game is to force the opponent to touch the ground using hands, fists and feet (kicking is prohibited). For this purpose, one needs both strength and strategy.
When the game is over, the winner hugs the loser and jumps to the center of the court and receives a branch decorated with cloth and money given by the spectators after his victory.
In major competitions, village elders may present a cow or a horse or a flowered silk shawl to the champion who has eliminated all his rivals.
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