Laziness as the meaning of life

Montenegrins are often the subject of jokes, and the obligatory joke is that they tend to be lazy, and are unique in Europe. This stereotype is also transmitted in numerous jokes, so one goes like this; “The owner of a company in Montenegro decides to work only on Wednesdays. He gathers the workers and tells them the good news. One worker asks him; Boss, is every Wednesday a working day?”

To make fun of themselves, Montenegrins hold a laziness competition every year, and the record is 117 hours of lounging. The laziness competition is held at the end of summer in the ethnic village of Montenegro, not far from Nikšić, and the tradition has been going on for 11 years. Competitors are allowed to eat and drink, read books, laptops, and phones, that is, everything except standing up. As of 2021, the rules have been changed so that the contestants, who are lying under the canopy of a hundred-year-old maple tree, have the opportunity to go to the toilet every eight hours.

The winner receives prizes every year; money in the amount of 350 euros, rafting, a weekend in an ethnic village, and lunch for two in a restaurant in Podgorica.