Sumo Baby Crying Festival
(Just so you know, crying babies are definitely not my thing, so I won't be attending this festival).
This is an annual spring event at numerous shrines and temples in Japan. One of the most famous events is held at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa in Tokyo. The competition is between pairs of one year old babies to see which one cries first when held up in the air by sumo wrestlers, while crowds of people watch and chant "cry, cry, cry", (in Japanese, of course). If both babies cry, the one who is louder wins. Strange as it sounds, this event is held to pray for the baby's healthy growth and development. The beginnings of this festival go back at least 400 years and the saying is, "Naku ko wa sodatsu" or "Crying babies grow fat." The belief is that the cries ward off demons that would otherwise harm the babies.
Only in Japan?
7 comments:
OMGosh!! Well, I'm gonna tell you that our newest baby would win that contest for sure. She LOVES to cry. I always check for a reason and usually can't figure it out. She just likes to cry.
Seems like the Japanese have a shrine and festival for everything.
xx, Carol
A festival with a difference, not my thing either.
Sumo is a ritual dedicated to God since ancient times.
Therefore,it seems lucky to have the baby held by a Sumo wrestler.
There is a baby sleeping the arms of a Sumo wrestler.
Most babies are crying.
Adults think babies who don't cry have courage.
It can be a hassle for your baby to bother to cry.But it's a festival,so if you cooperate,
the people around baby will be happy. A baby who participates in the festival.Thanking you in advance.
Not showing feelings or crying is courageous, some say, and this attitude is (was) highly though of.
To me, when a baby is crying is it is a sign of discomfort or fear, and it is vital that the baby sends out this alarm, so that he/she is fed or changed, and the spider, growling dog or whatever it is that frightened the baby can be removed. With parents today being so fixated on their smartphones maybe they don't notice that something is seriously wrong.
Although I don't 'like' the sound of babies howling I think they should learn to wail at high volume when in need, and spend the rest of the time slumbering quietly!
I have been told that I cried my head off at my own christening., I can't remember what was wrong but maybe the water was too cold! I
No, I'd give that a pass. One is bad enough!
How amazing!
That seems kind of mean! Sometimes, Japan is strange.
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