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Stånga Games
The Stånga Games (in Swedish Stångaspelen), also referred to as the "Gotland Olympic Games", is an annual sports competition in Stånga on the Swedish island of Gotland. The first Stånga Games were concluded on 27 July 1924. The games are held during five days around the second weekend in July and gathers about 2000 participants. Competitions are held in various Gutnish disciplines, some dating back to the Viking Age. History The first competition was held in 1882. From the late 1880s, general Gotland athletics competitions were held several times per decade. In 1912, a special association was formed - "Föreningen Gotländsk Idrott" (FGI) with the mission of promoting the Gotland sports games. In 1924, FGI decided to arrange a Gothic sport competition in Stånga. Reinhold Dahlgren (1886-1968), a high school teacher from Östergarn organized the competition annually starting 1933 calling it officially Stångaspelen. The Stånga municipality gave the games a central location ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swedish Language
Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countries overall. Swedish, like the other Nordic languages, is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish, although the degree of mutual intelligibility is largely dependent on the dialect and accent of the speaker. Written Norwegian and Danish are usually more easily understood by Swedish speakers than the spoken languages, due to the differences in tone, accent, and intonation. Standard Swedish, spoken by most Swedes, is the national language that evolved from the Central Swedish dialects in the 19th century and was well established by the beginning of the 20th century. While distinct regional v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stånga
Stånga is a locality on the Swedish island of Gotland, with 491 inhabitants in 2014. Stånga is also the name of the larger populated area, socken (not to be confused with parish). It comprises the same area as the administrative Stånga District, established on 1January 2016. Stånga is most noted for hosting the annual Stånga Games ( sv, Stångaspelen). Geography Stånga is the name of the locality surrounding the medieval Stånga Church, sometimes referred to as ''Stånga kyrkby''. It is also the name of the socken as well as the district. Stånga is located in the southeast part of Gotland. , Stånga Church belongs to Stånga-Burs parish in Burs pastorat, along with the church in Burs. One of the asteroids in the asteroid belt, 10131 Stånga, is named after this place. Stånga Games The Stånga Games (''Stångaspelen''), also referred to as the "Gotland Olympic Games", is an annual sports competition in Stånga. The first games were concluded on 27 July 1924. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, as well as the Karlsö Islands (Lilla and Stora) to the west. The population is 61,001, of which about 23,600 live in Visby, the main town. Outside Visby, there are minor settlements and a mainly rural population. The island of Gotland and the other areas of the province of Gotland make up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area. The county formed by the archipelago is the second smallest by area and is the least populated in Sweden. In spite of the small size due to its narrow width, the driving distance between the furthermost points of the populated islands is about . Gotland is a fully integrated part of Sweden with no particular autonomy, unlike several other offshore island groups in Europe. Historically there w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ... and the Germanic Iron Age. The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia but also to any place significantly settled by North Germanic peoples, Scandinavians during the period. The Scandinavians of the Viking Age are often referred to as ''Vikings'' as well as ''Norsemen'', although few of them were Vikings in sense of being engaged in piracy. Voyaging by sea from their homelands in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the Norse people settled in the Viking activity in the British Is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Östergarn
Östergarn () is a populated area, a ''socken'' (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Östergarn District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Östergarn is situated on a peninsula on the central part of eastern Gotland. The area has several low plateaus, the two major ones are Grogarnsberget and Östergarnsberget. The medieval Östergarn Church is located in the ''socken''. , Östergarn Church belongs to Östergarn parish in Romaklosters pastorat, along with the churches in Gammelgarn, Kräklingbo, Anga and Ala. The harbor village Katthammarsvik is on the north coast of Östergarn and the Herrvik fishing village is on the eastern tip of the peninsula. About northeast of Herrvik is the Östergarnsholm island with its two lighthouses. The island is about . Along the southern coast is the Sandviken Natura 2000 nature reserve with its long, sandy beach. One of the asteroids in the asteroid be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varpa
Varpa is an outdoor game that dates back to the Viking Age and survived in Gotland. It is similar to boules and horseshoes but is played with a flat and heavy object called a "varpa" instead of balls. Varpas used to be well-shaped stones, but nowadays, aluminium is more popular. A varpa can weigh between . The object of the game is to throw the varpa as close to a stick as possible. The stick is away for women and away for men. The game can be played individually or in teams. No official nationally sponsored varpa teams exist; however, unofficial leagues are growing in popularity among youth in suburban areas of Sweden and Norway. "Varpa" is an old word which simply means "to throw". Varpa is one of the disciplines at the annual Stånga Games (''Stångaspelen''). See also * Caber toss The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (/ˈkeɪbər/). It is normally practised at the Scottish Highla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pärk
Pärk or Paerk is a game, somewhat similar to a game of baseball but where the aim is to gain ground like in American football, that has been played for centuries on the island of Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ... in Baltic Sea. The game is played with two teams of 7 people on a field that is wide and that can vary in length. The players hit the ball with their hands or feet. The paerk, or serve area, is marked off with wooden laths and measures . The ball is made of a tight ball of yarn that has been dressed in sheepskin. Pärk is one of the disciplines at the annual Stånga Games (''Stångaspelen''). See also * Varpa References External links Brief description Team sports Ball games Gotland {{sport-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caber Toss
The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (/ˈkeɪbər/). It is normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. In Scotland, the caber is usually made from a larch tree and it can be between tall and weighs . The term "caber" derives from the Gaelic word ''cabar'', which refers to a wooden beam. The person tossing the caber is called a "tosser" or a "thrower". It is said to have developed from the need to toss logs across narrow chasms (in order to cross them), lumberjacks needing to transport logs by throwing them in streams, or by lumberjacks challenging each other to a small contest. Although the sport is primarily associated with Scotland, a similar exercise, "casting the bar", was popular in England in the 16th century. The record for most caber tosses in three minutes is currently held by the Canadian Danny Frame. He managed to perform 16 successful caber tosses on 20 July 2018 at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, Ï€Îνταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the '' stadion'' (a short foot race) and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle. With the revival of the Olympic Games in the modern era, the pentathlon returned in two formats. The athletics pentathlon was a modern variation on the original events, with a competition over five track and field events. The modern pentathlon, invented by Pierre de Coubertin (father of the Modern Olympic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillow Fight
A pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children (but also by teens and adults) in which they engage in mock physical conflict, using pillows as weapons. Pillow fights often occur during children's sleepovers. Since pillows are usually soft, injuries rarely occur. The heft of a pillow can still knock a young person off balance, especially on a soft surface such as a bed, which is a common venue. In earlier eras, pillows would often break, shedding feathers throughout a room. Modern pillows tend to be stronger and are often filled with a solid block of artificial filling, so breakage occurs far less frequently. Organized pillow fights Pillow fighting has become a part of flash mob culture, with pillow fight flash mobs popping up in cities around the world. Social media is frequently used to initiate and advertise public pillow fight events. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), occasionally staged "pillow fight matches" between female wrestlers, then known a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobble (device)
A hobble (also, and perhaps earlier, hopple), or spancel, is a device which prevents or limits the locomotion of an animal, by tethering one or more legs. Although hobbles are most commonly used on horses, they are also sometimes used on other animals. On dogs, they are used especially during force-fetch training to limit the movement of a dog's front paws when training it to stay still. They are made from leather, rope, or synthetic materials such as nylon or neoprene. There are various designs for breeding, casting (causing a horse or other large animal to lie down with its legs underneath it), and mounting horses. Types Western horse hobbles "Western"-style horse hobbles are tied around the pasterns or cannon bones of the horse's front legs. They comprise three basic types: * The vaquero or braided hobble, which is often of a quite fancy plaiting and lighter than other varieties, and is therefore only suitable for short term use. * The figure eight hobble or Queensl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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