Japan's baby-crying contest: VIDEO
At the annual Naki Sumo festival, Japan's biggest cry babies gather to sob it out
Most of us would do anything to stop our baby crying.
But, at Japan’s 400-year-old Naki Sumo festival, parents are falling over themselves to make their child sob as much as possible – because the child that cries the loudest and longest is the winner.
As you'll see from this video, the babies are placed opposite each other, sumo-style, on special cushions and are each given a little contestant headband to wear.
Then the referee shouts "Nokotta" ("start fighting") at them to make them cry – and the 'bout' begins.
It's not meant to be cruel. The contest, held on Children's Day, is meant to bring baby's good health. In Japan, some believe that a child’s cries can ward off evil spirits. So, the louder the babies cry, the theory goes, the more good health the baby will enjoy.
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