Japan is “drowned” in children’s tears – the country hosts the Naki Sumo Festival.
The wrestling of crying babies, as the traditional Naki sumo festival is called in another way, is already about 400 years old, and only the last four years it has not been held due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Unusual for Europeans competitions are held in the Senso-ji temple in Tokyo and in other cities. Babies under the age of one are encouraged to cry in a sumo ring, and the winner is the loudest one. Usually sumo wrestlers hold them in their arms, but this year, again because of the covid, the kids were taken to the playground by their parents.
The competition is judged by a priest. At his command, the wrestlers (and this year, dad or mom) begin to make strange sounds and make faces so that the child is scared and crying. The most fearless and persistent babies who do not want to cry can also be influenced by the judge, wearing a frightening demon mask.
According to Japanese beliefs, the crying of a baby scares away evil spirits, and the louder it is, the more power the gods endowed the child with, the healthier the baby will be. Competitions are held annually during the spring “Golden Week”, symbolizing the peak of spring. The festival coincides with the national Japanese holiday Children’s Day.
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