1. Wife-Carrying Championships
Held (every pun intended) every July in Sonkajärvi, a husband literally carries his wife through a 253 metre obstacle course, which includes a water jump. For maximum speed, most wives are carried dangling on their husband’s backs. The grand prize? The wife’s weight in beer. (http://www.eukonkanto.fi/en/)
2. Sleepy-head Day
Also known as Unikeonpäivä, this odd tradition is based on the story of the Saints of Ephesus who slept in a cave for some 200 years during the Middle Ages whilst hiding from persecution by Decius, the Roman Emperor at the time. Every July, the last person in the household to wake is woken up with water – thrown into a lake, or having water splashed on the face. In Naantali, a town near Turku, a celebrity is thrown into the lake at 7 a.m., and has included President, Tarja Halonen’s husband Dr. Pentti Arajärvi.
3. Air Guitar World Championships
As part of the Oulu Video Music Festival, in late August, the crowds for the Air Guitar Championships have grown to include contestants from more than twenty countries since 1996. Here’s a video of this year’s champion: (http://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com/en/event/agwc-2010).
4. Swamp Football Championships
Held every July in Hyrynsalmi (170 km east of Oulu), over 30,000 spectactors watch footie being played in a swamp. The sport has grown to other countries including the UK and Sweden. Apparently, this was the brainchild of a skier who wanted to intensify his training in the summer by skiing in a swamp. (http://www.suopotkupallo.fi).
5. Cell Phone and Boot Throwing Championships. It seems as though the Finns have a lot of repressed anger or aren’t getting enough sun. What better way than to do a little spring cleaning and make a competition out of it?
For more information you can go to: visitfinland.com