Couples race in ‘wife-carrying’ contest to celebrate Midsummer in Canada

Couples raced each other in a "wife-carrying" contest in Burnaby, British Columbia, on Sunday (25 June) to celebrate the Scandinavian Midsummer festival.

According to the festival, the tradition originates from Finland when "if a man wanted a woman from a neighbouring village he had to go and take her... This show of worthiness and determination – together with rumours and hearsay – evolved into the Wife Carrying Contest."

The modern-day race involves a “husband” carrying a “wife” through an obstacle course for a prize.