In a country of extremes, where the Midnight Sun stays bright 24/7 in summer, and winter is grey for many long weeks, it’s no surprise that the inhabitants have devised a series of oddball activities to keep themselves amused, and possibly balanced. From culinary wackiness to one-of-a-kind crazy activities, Finland gets my vote for having the greatest sense of humor in the world.
Try these personality-filled events from the country that invented Angry Birds:
Swamp Soccer World Cup – Mud is the surface here as two teams play out a somewhat typical soccer game with one ball. Quite atypical, however, are the uniforms, if you’d like to call them that. Players wear yellow or pink braided wigs, and any kind of costume imaginable with the hopes of keeping some of the mud off their skin. The adjacent sauna comes in handy afterwards as you’ll need multiple soaks to clean up. The 2012 Swamp Soccer World Cup will be held on July 13 and 14 in Ukkohalla.
Air Guitar Competition – Do you have aspirations to be the next Bruce Springsteen or Taylor Swift? You can try your luck playing the phantom instrument at Club Teatria in Oulu from August 22-24, and you don’t even have to sing… or play a single real note. Lessons are offered pre-competition to get your chops in shape.
Twangy Guitar Competition – All right, so you’re a real guitar player. Are you skilled at playing a weepy-sounding guitar tune? If so, this competition’s definitely for you. The Taarasti Art Center in Nastola near Lahti is the locale for the annual celebration of this peculiarly Finnish style of guitar playing.
Phone Throwing Competition – I guess this is the best way to get rid of old Nokias. In Savonlinna, the World Championships of phone throwing kick off with officially provided World Championship mobile phones to level the playing field. A pre-game mental check and physical is required of all participants.
Boot Throwing Competition – After you’ve gotten rid of your phone, you might as well drink a beer or two or three, and get rid of your boots, too. Throwing boots as a sport started in the early 20th century, but the first championship was organized in Finland in 1992. There’s even an organization for interested participants, the International Boot Throwing Association.
Wife Carrying Competition — Celebrating its twentieth anniversary – and one of the favorites for spectators both Finnish and otherwise — this 19th-century competition is held in Sonkajärvi in the summer. The goal is to successfully wend your way through an obstacle course, with your wife over your shoulders. Water hazards, beer swigging, and running are all part of the fun.
Finnish Dialect Speaking Championships – It’s hard enough to remember any Finnish vocabulary, so imagine how bizarre this competition is. Words that have 12 to 14 letters, with precise rules for pronunciation, are the basis. Think about the differences between Northern and Southern US accents, and imagine how Laplanders feel about their city cousins. The championship is scheduled in early July in Kuopio. Time to brush up on your Finnish!
The Original Garlic Restaurant – Kynsilaukka is the Finnish word for garlic, and Helsinki’s Garlic Restaurant continues to create quite a stink in the culinary world. The old garlic standbys are on the menu, from snails to pasta, but it’s the more unusual dishes that should be on your order. Start with a garlic beer, tuck into garlicky reindeer meat on skewers, and finish with creamy garlic ice cream. Bring your breath mints! Fredrikinkatu 22, 00120 Helsinki www.kynsilaukka.com
Crayfish Parties – Marking the end of summer, guests leave their table manners behind and grab buckets of these miniature red creatures, breaking off the heads, and sucking out and slurping down their innards. Add the requisite schnapps to the festivities, and a few raunchy songs, and you can see why these pop-up parties occur in all parts of Finland in August and September.
If you need more inspiration to visit Finland, there are also events for mosquito swatting, milking stool throwing, table drumming, sitting on an ant’s nest, team berry picking, and kick-sledding.
www.visitfinland.com