Current:Home > MyGerman men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria’s ‘Fingerhakeln’ wrestling championship -Wealth Evolution Experts
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria’s ‘Fingerhakeln’ wrestling championship
View
Date:2025-04-18 10:54:16
BERNBEUREN, Germany (AP) — Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
The “finger wrestlers” met in a big beer tent in the small southern village of Bernbeuren. Around 1,000 visitors cheered on the all-male contestants as they gulped down their national beer and world-famous German sausages while Bavarian live music filled the air.
A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Finger wrestling, a well-known competitive sport in Germany’s Alpine region and neighboring Austria, originated as a way to settle disputes.
In each round, two competitors sit on opposite sides of a solid table and each hooks one finger — usually the middle finger — through opposite sides of a small leather loop. As soon as a referee signals the start, a contestant tries to pull the other across the table swiftly. The whole thing usually lasts a few seconds, and digits put out of their joints are common. The winner moves to the next round.
A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
“This tradition has been popular for a very long time in beer houses and pubs across the region,” said Marie-Therese Eierstock, the head of the Fingerhakler Gau Auerberg association, founded in 1961 and organized this year’s championship.
Customarily, only men are allowed to participate in finger-wrestling competitions.
At Sunday’s tournament, the youngest competitor was 15 years old and the oldest 70, Eierstock said.
A referee monitors the leather ring held by two competitors with their middle fingers at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Men dressed in traditional clothes try to pull the opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
New champions Luis Koegel, right, and Thomas Hipp celebrate winning at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A competitor stretches his fingers as he prepares for a bout at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
People dressed in traditional clothes attend the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A competitor stretches his fingers as he prepares for a bout at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Competitors stretch their fingers as they prepare for a bout at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln_finger wrestling_ in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
People dressed in traditional clothes attend the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A competitor warms up for his bout, at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Competitors in traditional clothes warm up for their bouts at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A young boy in traditional clothes watches a bout at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A competitor warms up for his bout at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A man dressed in traditional clothes tries to pull his opponent over the table at the German Championships in Fingerhakeln or finger wrestling, in Bernbeuren, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
veryGood! (5)
Related
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- How Leonardo DiCaprio Celebrated His 50th Birthday
- Kevin Costner Shares His Honest Reaction to John Dutton's Controversial Fate on Yellowstone
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
- Mike Tyson emerges as heavyweight champ among product pitchmen before Jake Paul fight
- Kid Rock tells fellow Trump supporters 'most of our left-leaning friends are good people'
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson weighs in on report that he would 'pee in a bottle' on set
- Former Disney Star Skai Jackson Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Her Boyfriend
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
- 'Unfortunate error': 'Wicked' dolls with porn site on packaging pulled from Target, Amazon
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
Recommendation
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Jessica Simpson’s Sister Ashlee Simpson Addresses Eric Johnson Breakup Speculation
Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments