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.
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.
“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.
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
A new government bill tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday would allow Canadians to pass citizenship rights down to their children born outside the country — a move that would add an unknown number of new citizens.
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
Plenty of people are wondering if Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are having problems in their marriage, but one person had the nerve to ask in a public forum.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America -- squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
The president of the Treasury Board is standing by the federal government's new hybrid office mandate for federal public servants, but is urging managers to be flexible for staff requiring exemptions.
A Calgary halal butcher, which was shut down by Alberta Health Services in April only to reopen in early May, has been told to close down again.
Britain's fractious politicians shared a rare moment of unity on Wednesday, when a Conservative lawmaker returned to work six months after sepsis put him in a coma and forced the amputation of his hands and feet.
A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday night, killing nine people and injuring dozens as high winds tore apart the large, concert-style structure, scattering politicians and attendees.
Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
A group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza has released new video footage showing Hamas' capture of five female Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.
A deadly tornado that wreaked havoc in the small city of Greenfield, Iowa, left four people dead and nearly three dozen injured, officials said, while a fifth person was killed elsewhere.
The New York state Senate passed a bill to explicitly allow evidence of prior sexual offenses in sex crimes cases, a move to change the legal standard Harvey Weinstein used to overturn his rape conviction.
A new government bill tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday would allow Canadians to pass citizenship rights down to their children born outside the country — a move that would add an unknown number of new citizens.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to the United States targeted U.S. lawmakers, but also his political opponents in Canada, as his speech to one of the largest unions in North America attempted to make the case that his party cares more about workers’ rights than Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Canada's special envoy for combating antisemitism says she's 'very interested' in exploring the idea of removing religion as a possible defence against hate speech charges.
A Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.
Thousands of Canadians live each year with a devastating diagnosis: ALS. The condition, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, currently has no cure, but that could change after a promising breakthrough in Canadian research.
Families of the more than 60,000 children seeking services through the Ontario Autism Program say it is slow — a boy in Thornhill, Ont., has been on the wait-list for more than 2 1/2 years — that it is not truly needs based, that a lack of service providers means that even with money in hand some families can't find help, and that there is almost no transparency.
The surge in Canada's tick population is linked to recent changes in our climate, according to Mount Allison University biology professor Vett Lloyd.
A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.
The sun has a powerful magnetic field that creates sunspots on the star's surface and unleashes solar storms such as the one that bathed much of the planet in beautiful auroras this month.
Cassie Ventura has shared a statement expressing her gratitude for the support she has received since CNN's publication of a 2016 surveillance video that showed her being physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
Nashville councilmembers have rejected plans for a glowing sign to be erected at Morgan Wallen's new bar along the city's neon-lit strip of honky tonks, citing his use of a racial slur that caused controversy in 2021 and recent criminal charges accusing the country star of throwing a chair off a rooftop near two police officers.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation Entertainment on Thursday, accusing them of running an illegal monopoly over live events in America -- squelching competition and driving up prices for fans.
Nvidia on Wednesday overshot Wall Street estimates as its profit skyrocketed, bolstered by the chip-making dominance that has made the company an icon of the artificial intelligence boom.
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
A private island that comes with one mansion, five guest cottages, a caretaker's residence, two boats and a tennis court has hit the market in B.C. for $7 million.
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has officially announced that it’s expanding north of the border with a first-ever Canadian team in Toronto.
The WNBA is expanding to Toronto, but Larry Tanenbaum says the new team will belong to all of Canada.
Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks is this season's Jack Adams Award winner as the NHL's coach of the year.
BMW and Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu unveiled her newest 'Art Car' at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, France.
Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February.
California could eventually join the European Union in requiring all new cars to alert drivers when they break the speed limit.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A spokesman for Quebec's provincial police says British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton is in a medically induced coma after a prison attack and doctors planned to try to wake him soon.
West Vancouver police say they arrested a violent offender in the British Properties neighbourhood Wednesday, in an incident that drew a significant number of officers to the area.
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has officially announced that it’s expanding north of the border with a first-ever Canadian team in Toronto.
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
A man has died and another male victim remains in hospital in critical condition following a double shooting at a school parking lot in Mississauga late Wednesday night.
A Calgary halal butcher, which was shut down by Alberta Health Services in April only to reopen in early May, has been told to close down again.
Following years of struggles with high maintenance costs, the City of Calgary is closing down one of its swimming facilities.
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
The president of the Treasury Board is standing by the federal government's new hybrid office mandate for federal public servants, but is urging managers to be flexible for staff requiring exemptions.
A report prepared for a joint meeting of the Transit Commission and the LRT Subcommittee on May 31 does not contain any reference to an opening date for the delayed north-south Trillium Line, but it does offer clues into how much longer work could take.
Researchers have developed the world's first algorithm powered by artificial intelligence to identify children with undiagnosed rare genetic disorders.
Some tenants in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood are bracing for a sweltering summer. Their building on Monkland Avenue is not allowing them to turn on air conditioning because of repairs to their balconies. The repair work is expected to last all summer.
For more than a year, an urn holding the ashes of Bridget Heffernan's brother has remained in her Montreal-area home instead of being buried in the plot at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery where her family members have been laid to rest for nearly a century.
CAA-Quebec has released its 2024 list of the worst roads in the province -- and Montreal failed to make the top 10.
One person was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after they were stabbed Wednesday night.
Several business owners at Edmonton's Westmount Shopping Centre say they've been given only 30-days notice to find a new location.
The Dallas Stars have a committed, well-balanced attack heading into Thursday's Western Conference final opener against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the high-flying Edmonton Oilers.
The National Hurricane Center of the United States has issued their forecast for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
More than two years after Paper Excellence, owners of Northern Pulp – the idled pulp mill in Pictou County – filed a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia government, the two parties have reportedly reached a settlement agreement.
Police say a vehicle struck a pedestrian on a Halifax street early Thursday morning.
Manitobans are being warned about a major weather event heading to the southeast part of the province that could bring between 50 and 60 millimetres of rain.
A Manitoba organization aimed at giving research dogs a second chance at life is searching for foster homes for pups in need.
A year after admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was arrested for killing four Indigenous women, investigators learned he was writing to a ‘pen pal’ inmate in Nova Scotia – handwritten letters that are now being entered as evidence in his trial.
The cost of changing all the signage of Dewdney Avenue – should the famous Regina street be renamed one day – could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Mayor Sandra Masters.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
The Saskatchewan NDP are calling for an investigation into whether or not Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison once brought a gun to the legislature after being accused by legislative Speaker Randy Weekes.
Big changes are coming to Waterloo Region waste collection.
A six-vehicle crash brought traffic to a standstill in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 through Cambridge on Wednesday morning.
2023 was a big year for population growth in the Region of Waterloo.
The mayor of Cumberland House says he’s considering declaring a state of emergency over the deteriorating condition of the only highway in and out of the village.
The Saskatchewan NDP are calling for an investigation into whether or not Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison once brought a gun to the legislature after being accused by legislative Speaker Randy Weekes.
The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation (JPCHF) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are looking to change pediatric care in the province for years to come.
A successful strategy to end functional homelessness in Greater Sudbury would cost $350 million, a report headed to city council concludes.
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.
As temperatures rise out of a mild El Nino winter, Canada's buggy season is already upon us again, and this year, the bugs are looking especially big.
Western University is taking action against what it calls "illegal activity" at a Pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campus.
Two people have been charged after police initiated an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) "suspicious win investigation." On Dec. 14, 2023, officers received information from the OLG about a suspicious lottery ticket win at a retail outlet in Mitchell.
On Wednesday, the Civic Works Committee recommended holding a public meeting in July about whether to further restrict the hours when Londoners can use gas-powered lawn mowers, weed trimmers and leaf blowers.
The Ontario government announced it would invest more than $60 million to build new schools and expand an existing one in Simcoe County, addressing the needs of growing communities.
Several police officers and emergency response personnel responded to reports of a possible body along the side of the road near Thornton that ended up being a false alarm.
Severe storms rolled into central Ontario on Wednesday, with Environment Canada warning about 120 kilometres per hour winds that had the potential to produce a tornado.
Windsor police are hoping the public can help identify the people and vehicles they believe to be involved in a shots fired investigation in Windsor on Sunday.
Essex County OPP are looking for a missing 39-year-old woman.
Windsor Police have arrested a suspect wanted after a home break-in was caught on a security camera.
As 18-year-old Sidney McIntyre-Starko lay dying from a fentanyl overdose, several of her University of Victoria classmates watched helplessly, not recognizing what happened to her or how to perform CPR.
A spokesman for Quebec's provincial police says British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton is in a medically induced coma after a prison attack and doctors planned to try to wake him soon.
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished.
One person is dead after a fight in Penticton early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
A suspect is at large after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint in Merritt, B.C., Friday, according to local police.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
Alberta received a D- grade on Food Bank Canada’s annual poverty report card – a mark that did not come as a surprise for many organizations in Lethbridge.
Alberta sheriffs have closed a problem property in Medicine Hat, saying officers were frequently called to the home because of drug activity and violence.
Lethbridge police hit the road over the May long weekend, as part of an ongoing traffic enforcement project.
From paper and pen to tablets and computers, staff at the Greater Sudbury hospital are preparing for what they say is one of the biggest changes to happen to the hospital in decades.
Daily security patrols are returning to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.’s downtown this summer. City council recently approved a pilot program that will see security patrols mid-day and in the evenings.
A U.S. citizen is facing impaired driving and other charges following an incident May 20 in Sault Ste. Marie.
79-year-old Madonna Wilkinson has been playing the accordion since she was 15, when she picked one up that had been left behind at one of her parents' rollicking parties in the oceanside town about 25 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L. She has played Sunday masses and St. Patrick's Day parties, and community events of all kinds.
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.
A new study shows an Atlantic salmon population in southern Newfoundland is disappearing, and it says nearby aquaculture operations are a likely contributor to the decline.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
