Japan’s Naki Zumo festival, dating back 400 years, sees sumo wrestlers gather at temples to scare babies into crying. The winner is the baby who cries the longest and loudest, with all who sob rewarded with good health and defense against evil spirits. Parents can pay up to $100 USD to make their child cry, and children between 6 and 18 months can participate.
A good cry can be good for the soul. That’s the gist of Japan’s annual Naki Zumo festival, a tradition that dates back 400 years. Every year, sumo wrestlers (also known as rikishi) gather at temples and shrines, while parents bring their children to them so they can be frightened into tears. The competition is inspired by the Japanese proverb “naku ko wa sodatsu”, which loosely translates as “crying children grow up fast”. Thus, sumo wrestlers are at least good luck for children. Here’s how it works: A sumo referee lifts babies in the air and tries to make the babies cry, begging them to “nake, nake” (“cry, cry”). If he fails, the referee puts on a devil mask and yells to scare the kids into crying. The winner is the baby who cries the longest and loudest. All who sob are apparently rewarded with good health and a defense against evil spirits.
Read more about the Japanese crying festival:
Children between the ages of 6 months and 18 months can participate in the festival.
Parents usually try to silence crying babies, but on this day, they can pay up to $100 USD to make them cry.
At the festival, sumo wrestlers dress in the traditional mawashi, the loincloth worn during training and competition.
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