Mango Languages

World Wife Carrying Championship!

Alright girls, so we might not have carried you home after the wedding like they do in the movies, but here’s your second chance!

Every year, there is an event held in Sonkajarvi, Finland, in which men race to the end of a 253.5 meter official track while carrying a woman (she doesn’t have to be your wife) through two dry obstacles, and one 3m deep water obstacle.  You can carry your “wife” any way you please: piggyback, fireman (over your shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside down with her legs around the husband’s shoulders and her hands around his waist).

The sport got its origin only about 15 years ago, though it is said to be based on a joke reminiscent of the past, in which men courted women by running to their village, picking them up, and carrying them away.

Today, the sport is practiced worldwide, with a notable competition right here in Marquette, Michigan!  There is a North American Championship held in Maine, after which the winning couple goes to Finland to compete in the world championship.

This year’s champion won a plasma T.V. and his weight in beer.  Who’s signing up with me??