Swinger Kings

Swinger Kings

Newcomers to Switzerland may wonder at headlines proclaiming a new "swinger king" or photos of large brutes throwing massive stones around, but for locals, it's all part of a rural tradition alive and well in these parts.

Schwingen is a Swiss form of wrestling, held annually outdoors on a great big pile of sawdust, with colossal participants attempting to heave each other onto the ground. The winner gets -- what else? -- a cow.

Based in Interlaken, the Unspunnen Festival -- a multiday extravaganza of yodeling, dancing, and traditional costume shows -- hosts a competition every 11 years to see who can throw a great big rock the farthest (sorry -- the last one was just held in 2006). And not just any rock, either: some of the projectiles used date back to the 19th century and are so laden with traditional importance that one has been repeatedly stolen by Jurassic separatists, and is at this writing still missing.