This post is a part of the A-Z April Challenge.
From beautiful places to Weird customs. And where better to
look than Japan. Sumo is a traditional wrestling form that originated In Japan.
Sumo wrestling is considered to be the national sport of Japan, Japan is also
the only country where it is practiced professionally.
Give this sport a bit of a tweak, well actually a big one,
and we have Konaki Sumo. Konaki or Nazikumo is a 400 year old tradition that
still continues in many a Japanese temple. The biggest of these confluences
takes place in April in the Sensoji Temple.
 |
| Super Baby: Leave me, Krypton needs help. |
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 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 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment