For those of you new parents out there that panic (like I do) every time your baby cries for extended periods of time and there is seemingly nothing you can do to soothe him/her, fear not! All you have to do is take that wailing child over to Japan and you just may win a contest.
Every year people gather at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo for the Nakizumo festival. The focus of the event is the "crying sumo" competition where sumo wrestlers hold babies aloft in the contest and try to make them cry. Whichever baby cries first, is the winner. If both babies cry at the same time, the one bawling loudest is declared victor. The babies are persuaded to tears by a sumo judge (as if a 300 pound wrestler wasn't enough), who orders them to "nake, nake" ("cry, cry") as the wrestlers growl and make faces.
"Mommy said she was taking me to the park. She lied!"
The babies are held aloft so that their cries are closer to heaven. During the 400-year-old competition, their parents pray for the good health of their children. The ritual is said to support health and growth in newborns. The winner is the one who screams the loudest.
So don't fret parents, every time your child cries just think about all the health and growth they are bringing. And, you never know, you may have a potential contest winner in your hands. You'll just have to head over to Japan and find out.
Livi had her 2-month doctor visit last week where she had her first round of shots. Three needles were plugged into her chubby thighs, producing a scream that could wake the dead, and hopefully bringing lots of growth and health to her. With a scream like that, we're considering entering next year's competition in Japan. Bring on those sumo dudes!
