What pictures do you have in your mind when you think about the Scandinavian countries? Fjords? IKEA furniture? Vikings? This article will prove that we don’t know the Scandinavians that well. They are insane! In a good way, of course.
We has found a few things that happen only in northern Europe. And at the end of the article, there is a bonus about the things that happen only in Norway.
1. In Denmark, if you are single on your 25th birthday, they throw cinnamon on you.
Why not make these types of crossings all over the world? It looks cool and prompts you to lower your speed.
2. In Finland, they have an annual championship of wife carrying
Every July, in Sonkajärvi, Finland, something extraordinary happens: people from all around the world arrive to find out who will finish an obstacle course first with their wife on their back? This weird sport has rules: women have to be older than 17 and their weight should be at least 108 pounds. What motivates people to take part in this weird competition? The winner gets as much beer as his wife weighs.
3. When you get a PhD in Finland, you also receive a sword
When a person gets a PhD in Finland, they go through a ritual: a hat is put on their heads and they are given a real sword. This symbolizes that the new PhD is ready to protect the truth, the knowledge, and the good. And they’re not free, actually — they buy the hats and swords with their own money and bring them to the ceremony.
4. Giant human statues
Even the most boring things look amazing in Scandinavian countries. In Iceland, in 2008, architects proposed a design that would turn the ordinary electricity pylons into giant human statues. According to the architects, the idea is that these “human” pylons are modern caryatids that serve the people.
5. Sea elephant
There is the Island of Heimaey in Southern Iceland that attracts many visitors every year. This island is volcanic, and somehow years of eruption transformed it into something that looks like an elephant.
6.Things that can only happen in Norway. Are you ready to see this?
