Bavaria: 55th German Finger Wrestling Championships in Pictures

Hundreds of lederhosen-clad men competed in the 55th German Finger Wrestling Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, this weekend.

In the traditional Alpine sport, two competitors matched in age and weight sit across from one another at a table and pull a small leather band with one finger until one player has pulled the other across the table.

Finger wrestling (or Fingerhakeln in German) is thought to have originated in the 17th century as a way of settling disputes in Alpine countries.

The sport is taken very seriously in Bavaria and Austria. Wrestlers build up their finger muscles by lifting weights with one finger and doing one-fingered pull-ups.

Injuries are not uncommon at the event; competitors have been known to dislocate or break their fingers.