BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhuanet) -- A bizarre ritual dating back to the 12th century was staged on Saturday in Essex of Britain.

    The "Dunmow Flitch Trials," held every four years, requires each couple, who should be married for at least a year and a day to tell the story of their marriage, from how they met to the proposal and how their families reacted.

    The winner can win half a pig by trying to prove to a mock-court that they have the happiest marriage.

    Five couples participated in this year's trials, in which there were a judge and jury of "six maidens and six bachelors."

    "The story was just too much for us to pass up -- what better way for you to express your love for your wife than by trying to win bacon?" said Jeff Dotts from the United States, one of the participants with his wife Erin Albers.

    The trials were mentioned in medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."

    (Agencies)