Today, we would like to share an event that include babies in it. It is called as Konaki Sumo. It is held in Japan. I'm sure some of you haven't heard it yet. At this traditional 'konaki' (crying) sumo festival pairs of babies under one year old are pitted against each other.
It hurts everytime we saw babies cry right? But these Japanese sumo wrestlers believe the exact opposite: That a good long wail can be healthy for babies.
Mothers wait in line to enter their babies in the bizarre competition
So, this is how the festival works. Two sumo wrestlers complete in their wrestling attire hold a baby each in their hands and face each other. And they will wait. They wait for at least one of the babies to cry. There is a priest who usually tries to scare off the kids by waving and shouting. The wrestler holding the baby which cries first is deemed the loser. The wrestler with the most baby friendly hands and the non-fussiest baby has his hand held high in the end.
This festival is popular actually the time for praying for a baby’s health. Based on a Japanese proverb “naku ko wa sodatsu”, i.e. “Crying babies grow faster”, it is believed that the louder a baby cries, the more blessings God shall shower on him or her. So, the Sumo Wrestler holding the loudest baby might be knocked out of the competition, but the baby is a winner all the way.
The festival is over 400 years old and takes place annually at a few of Japans most well-known temples.
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