Mobile phone throwing, Hobbyhorses, and Hän-Carrying: Everything you need to know about the Finnish Crazy Games

Posted on 10 October, 2022

Forget grabbing your passport to head to the happiest country in the world—the Finnish Crazy Games are bringing us the best traditional (and craziest) games day you’ve ever experienced.

Offering a rare opportunity to see behind the gates of the Embassy of Finland (and join in on the fun), the Finnish Crazy Games are back as part of Windows to the World on Saturday 22 October—offering a friendly, light-hearted way to learn more about Finland and its traditions (including mobile phone throwing, hobby horses, and Hän-Carrying).

And with a day packed full of activities (hello live music, a Finnish market hall, a CBR Brave Ice Hockey Challenge, and even a sauna session for the first 60 applicants who register—a very integral part of Finnish culture), trust us when we say you’ll soon be falling in love with the Nordic nation.

But on to the important part—what exactly is mobile phone throwing, hobby horsing, and Hän-Carrying? Let’s break it down.

Mobile Phone Throwing

You might be wondering what mobile phone throwing has to do with Finnish culture—and the answer is very simple: it starts with Nokia.

The home of the unbreakable brick that has outlasted all of our smartphones, since 2000 the Finnish city of Savonlinna has hosted the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships, where—you guessed it—Finns show their patriotic spirit by hurling their most celebrated export. Yes, really.

Calling for Canberrans to dig out their old phones and throw them against a target, the Embassy of Finland is taking the event one step further: with a predicted 23 million unused mobile phones sitting in drawers and cupboards across Australia, they’re fighting to change this by encouraging a very fun (and violent) form of recycling.

Want to know the best part? You could win a brand-new phone from Nokia. But don’t worry, if you can’t bear to part ways with your retro gizmos, they will have plenty spare to use on the day.

Hobby horses

Okay—let’s be honest, at one point in our childhood we’ve all grabbed a broomstick and loped around the kitchen whinnying, much to the dismay of our parents.

And this is exactly why you should be excited about hobby horsing—a competitive sport in Finland that sees over 10,000 active competitors training seriously with stuffed horse heads on wooden sticks and using the sport as an opportunity to socialise.

Promising a stable of hobby horses that have been well fed and rested, you’ll find them at the Embassy of Finland to ride from 10 am onward, perfect for practicing your show jumps, barrel races, and prances (and yes, adults can do it too).

Hän-Carrying

Did you know the Wife Carrying World Championships have been held annually in Sonkajärvi in Finland since 1992? Well, think of Hän-Carrying as the much cooler and more inclusive version of a very fun tradition.

Grab (literally) a friend of any gender and participate for the chance to win their weight in Finnish beer—the perfect way to end a crazy day.