英会話・英語 アミック Spring event in the U.K.
2017/04/01
The practice of Wife Carrying – a race hosted annually in The Nower, Dorking, in which men carry their partner along a hilly 380m course – has a significantly less jovial history than the modern event suggests.
Dating back to the Viking invasion of 793 AD, the race evolved out of the Nordics’ rampage, in which a monastery was destroyed and local women were carried off against their will. It was only in 2008 that the tradition was revived in the UK – albeit with a whole new, 21st century set of rules (principally that women participate willingly).
The conditions of competing?
Wives must weigh at least 50kg – and those lacking in kilos must make up the weight in the equivalent of baked bean cans – and must wear a helmet; and competitors must complete the course (beset by hay-bale hurdles and the occasional cold-water hazard).
The prizes?
£100 and a barrel of Pilgrim ale for the winning couple, who will go on to participate in the world championships in Finland; a pound of sausage for the carrier of the heaviest wife, and mini-kegs for the runners up. The losers can look forward to receiving a ceremonial tin of dog food and a Pot Noodle.
