Maybe the main reason I agreed to go to Finland is because Finland is the motherland of the most weird events. You won’t believe what the Finns are up to when it comes to weird annual events, contests, and similar activities…and so here they are, the world’s weirdest events!

1. Wife Carrying World Championships
Each summer, this weird event in Sonkajärvi, Finland, becomes more and more popular. The wife-carrying contest has been at a world championship level for over 13 years now.

2. World Cell Phone Throwing Championships
Finland is the home of cellphone manufacturer Nokia, but it is unclear if they have anything to do with this weird event. Ever wanted to throw your phone? Join the World Cell Phone Throwing Championships taking place each August in Savonlinna, Finland.

3. Ice Swimming Events
Whether in the nude, or clothed, ice swimming is popular in Finland. There are events in many areas. So whether you’re looking for a quick ice-cold shock, or nude beaches in Scandinavia, Finland is the destination for you!

4. World Cup in Snowshoe Football
Finland also has football! No, not the regular kind, but the unique kind: Snowshow Football.

5. Finnish Sauna World Championships
Not quite as weird as other annual events in Finland, the Sauna World Championships test how long the competitors can tolerate a humid 110º Celsius in a Finnish sauna.
Perhaps the Finish sauna, is their sole contribution to human life as of today (except of course, nordic walking and the totally useless Nokia :cool: ). Some like to say that the Sauna really comes from Russia, but don’t be silly: everyone knows the only thing the Russians ever came up with is the AK-47.

Before describing the trip to Helsinki, I will present some fact about this lovely country:

* One of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest.
* Finland’s natural resources are composed mostly of non-vegetative soil, prairie, and cell-phone minutes.
* The climate in Finland is pleasant and temperate. During summers it rarely snows and during winters it doesn’t rain so much.

Government:
Bureaucratic Demorcratorship.
Official language:
Undecipherable with lots of unpronounceable vowels.
Location:
Far away from USA, so far from Japan, quite a long way from Cairo, lots of miles from Vietnam, but it´s there.
National anthem:
The Nokia Tune and any HIM song.
Currency:
present day EU rubles, before that Säkkiwulesi, ihQseteli and flying squirrel skins.
Population:
Maybe a bit over 1000, nobody cares.
Exports:
Saunas, Love Metal, snowboards, Lappi, Turunmaa, Jarkko Ruutu, Vowels.
Imports:
Russian vodka, African husbands, Russian wives, Beer, Used German cars.
Kings:
0.001 %

I guess to many facts and now some pictures:


It seems that in Finland everybody used to be or is a sailor-man, so this leads to another Finish record - the highest number of hats per capita :lol:

My impression is that people are not so conservative and cold as it is stated in all crappy cross-cultural literature.
They are actually very friendly, all the time ready to help and give a hand for the people in need:

They will listen to you very carefully and also provide time for retort:

will make you company and serve with cold Finish beer:

For a while I thought that I am actually in Georgia or Ukraine when seeing all those demonstrations for the 1st May: