The Crying Sumo Babies Festival in Japan is back. In Tokyo, 64 children took part in the competition, which consists of making children cry with the help of demon masks. “Babies who cry vigorously have a healthy upbringing,” says organizer Shigemi. For the first time in four years, the popular festival of crying sumo babies in Japan could go off on Saturday, reports the AFP news agency. The crying babies are the highlight of the festival. The competitions organized are about making the children cry as quickly as possible. AFP is on hand at the sumo ring at Sensoji Temple in Tokyo where 64 babies took part in the competitions. To more easily elicit tears from the children, staff put on their demon masks, which aim to scare the babies. Competitions all over the country The competition is judged by a sumo judge wearing a traditional uniform. Hisae Watanabe, mother of an eight-month-old girl taking part in the competition, told AFP she hoped to see her daughter cry. – We can determine the child’s health by listening to how they cry. Today she might get nervous and not cry, but I want to hear her healthy crying, she says. Powerful cries are appreciated It is not only in Tokyo that the competitions are organized. All over the country, spectators flock to take part in the festival. In some regions the rules are the other way around, the baby who cries first loses. Shigemi Fuji, president of the Asakusa Tourism Federation that organizes the festival, says he understands that it may seem strange to some. – But in Japan, we believe that babies who cry vigorously have a healthy upbringing, he says.
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