Speedy shovels shine in Slovakia’s grave-digging contest

TRENCIN, Slovakia — Ten teams from Slovakia, Poland and Hungary on Thursday turned mounds of ground in a competition to crown the fastest gravediggers in central Europe.

The Grave Digging Championships held in the Slovakian city of Trencin was meant to promote the funeral industry and bring some levity to a serious profession.

“This whole exhibition is about getting groups of funeral companies together,” event spokesman Christian Striz, who dressed as the Grim Reaper for the occasion, said. “It’s all about showing people how hard” the gravedigger’s job is.

The contest graded the teams on speed and accuracy, as graves had to be dug to exact specifications: 1.5-meters (5-feet) deep, 2-meters (6.5-feet) long and 0.9-meters (3-feet) wide.