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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Making Pillaging Fun Again
Saw this on CNN and looked it up online: apparently, the Finnish town of Sonkajarvi holds an annual wife-carrying contest - and it's been dominated by Estonians for several years. The tradition began in 1992 based on the legend of wife-stealing once being common in the region. Now they've turned it into a wacky local event - wacky enough to have Dennis Rodman attend, even.
The man doesn't have to carry his wife - any female companion will do, as long as she's above the weight limit. The prize: a cell phone and the woman's weight in beer. Which may explain the CNN clip with a decidedly overweight woman jumping on a guy's back. (More beer, more glory.)
Even better: the winner carried his female friend "Estonian" style - upside down, with her legs wrapped around his neck. I'll resist the obvious jokes.
I'm actually charmed by this, especially by the explicit rule that everyone involved must "have fun". It's an odd, harmless way to enjoy oneself - and for some reason, the notion of running around with your wife on your back seems like an interesting way to show marital love.
The man doesn't have to carry his wife - any female companion will do, as long as she's above the weight limit. The prize: a cell phone and the woman's weight in beer. Which may explain the CNN clip with a decidedly overweight woman jumping on a guy's back. (More beer, more glory.)
Even better: the winner carried his female friend "Estonian" style - upside down, with her legs wrapped around his neck. I'll resist the obvious jokes.
I'm actually charmed by this, especially by the explicit rule that everyone involved must "have fun". It's an odd, harmless way to enjoy oneself - and for some reason, the notion of running around with your wife on your back seems like an interesting way to show marital love.
