Quirky Guide

Wives at the ready! This quirky event involves men carrying their brides over a 253.5m obstacle course. The championship started in Sonkajärvi, Finland, in 1992 but its exact origins are unknown.

Locals say it started as a joke, mocking an old tradition in which men carried off would-be spouses from the village. Others claim it was a ploy to promote tourism.

It now features in the Guinness Book of Records and worldwide competitions draw thousands. Men traditionally carry wives ‘Estonian style’: upside-down with legs around the shoulders and arms around the waist. Women must weigh over 49 kilos (carrying weights if necessary).

Fear not if you have no wife…the lady can be anyone’s as long as she’s over 17.