In Japan, temples across the country annually invite amateur sumo wrestlers to participate in a unique competition. This competition doesn’t take place in a regular sumo arena, but within the temple grounds, where the goal is to make a baby cry. It may sound unusual, but this competition is believed to have great benefits for the babies’ healthy development.
On Saturday, April 26th, the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo hosted the annual event called “Crying Baby Sumo,” with a total of 160 babies under one year old participating.
The rules of the competition are simple: the babies face off one-on-one, with two sumo wrestlers each holding a baby entering the arena. The wrestlers then strive to make their respective babies cry by making funny faces, lifting them high, or doing various silly actions, all in an effort to get their little one to cry loudly.
The temple’s regulation states that the baby who cries first is declared the winner. If both babies start crying simultaneously, the one with the loudest cry takes the victory.
In cases where a child doesn’t cry, laughs, or falls asleep, the referee will come out wearing a scary mask to try and make the child cry to conclude the match. This part of the competition often amuses the audience and makes them burst into laughter.
Interestingly, the criteria for determining the winner vary greatly depending on the region. In some areas, the first crying child wins; whereas in others, the first crying child is considered the loser.
This entertaining event, which has a history of 400 years, is based on ancient Japanese beliefs that a loud cry from a baby contributes to their healthy growth and also helps ward off evil spirits.