ENGLISH JOINS US!: PARTICULAR FESTIVITIES

In every part of the world we can find different festivities and celebrations. Any of them could be very funny, other could seem ridiculous and even cruel for us…

WIFE CARRYING

This sport was introduced at Sonkajärvi (Finland).

It is a sport in which male competitors race while carrying a female teammate. The objective is to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time.

There are several thoughts about this sport was originated in Finland.

The first one, it is said that a man named Herkko Rosvo-ronkainen was a robber who lived in a forest. He and his gang of thieves ran around the villages causing harm. They were accused of stealing food and women from villages in the Herkko area where they lived.

Then, these women were carried on their backs as they ran away (hence the “wife carrying”)

Another one is about young men going to the villages, stealing other men´s wives (also carried on the backs) and then forcing the women to become their own wives.

Even though this sport is considered as a joke, competitors take it very seriously.
The rules are set by the International Wife Carrying Competition Rules Committee:
- The length of the official track is 253.5 meters
- The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle (about a meter deep)

- The wife to be carried may be your own wife, the neighbour´s or you may have found her further afield. But she must be over 17 years.

- The minimum weight of the wife is 49 kilograms. If she is less than 49 Kg, the wife will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight.

- All participants must enjoy themselves.

- The only equipment allowed is a belt worn by the carrier, and the carried must wear a helmet.

- The contestants run the race two at a time.
- Each contestant takes care of his / her safety and insurance.

- The contestants have to pay attention to the instructions given by the organizers of the competition.

- There is only a category in the World Championships and the winner is the couple who completes the course in the shortest time.

- Participation fee is 50 euros.

The winner usually receives the equivalent of the wife´s weight in beer or other valuable prices.

CAMELS WRESTLING AND MONKEY BUFFET FESTIVAL

For Turkish and other villages of The Middle East this is a historical celebration, which has its origin over two thousand and four hundred years ago.

At first, Nomads observed that their camels use to fight for the female camels. So they began to organize this wrestling to avoid disturbs during the road or possible damages in the animals.

At present, in the event two camels fight until one of them falls to the ground or try to escape. This wrestling is followed by hundred of persons who can take with themselves even food to make lunch picnics.

Animals rights groups have complained this practice. According to them nowadays there is no female camel in this wrestling and for making the camels aggressive the organization starved them for about three months.

We can find the opposite side in Thailand, where people take care of the temple monkeys like divinities.

For them, monkeys which live in the temple are descendants of the Hanuman God and every year the Thai village prepares for them a gorgeous buffet, where they can find fruits, vegetables, cakes and even soda drinks.