Stavast - Knife Fighting in the Netherlands - The forbidden art of Bekkensnijden

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The history and culture of a typical Netherlands phenomenon: A hundreds of years old traditional knife fighting art named Bekkesnijden (Maul Cutting). Single fights or tournaments were organised at the fairs or by the pubs and inns. There was a code of honour and a set of rules. Victory came when blood was drawn by cutting the opponent's face. Death was a rare outcome, but as arguments and other mishaps were often fought out in a similar fashion, death did occur. Local regents prohibited Bekkesnijden many times but never fully enforced their laws. This came to an end during the 19th century when it was slowly forced to become an illegal underground art. The name Bekkensnijder then slowly became a nickname and a word mistakenly used with any incident with which knifes, palm-blades or sharpened coins were used to cut one's face. Included in the book are the official rules and regulations for competition of the safe modern sport form of the art, making it possible for everybody to be a part of this tradition.