Japan’s Festival of Crying Babies Explained

Laura Morini
Oct 2
9 min read

Updated: Oct 6

Introduction — A Festival Unlike Any Other

In a world full of celebrations, few are as curious—or as heart-tugging—as Japan’s annual Naki Sumo, the Festival of Crying Babies. Imagine a stadium filled with wide-eyed infants, their tiny fists raised, as grown men gently coax and compete to make them cry first. At first glance, it might seem strange or even unsettling. Yet beneath the tears lies centuries of cultural meaning, superstition, and a surprisingly deep connection to health, luck, and community.

This festival isn’t just a spectacle; it’s a living tradition, where the cries of babies are believed to ward off evil spirits, bring longevity, and ensure that children grow strong. Locals say, “A loud cry today is a blessing for tomorrow.”

💡 Why It Captivates People

The combination of innocence, ritual, and competition makes it visually and emotionally striking.
Photographers and travelers are drawn to its vibrancy and uniqueness.
It highlights a cultural lens where tears are not sorrow but a form of protection and celebration.

As we explore the festival, you’ll discover that every wail has a purpose, every ritual a story, and every baby a role in a centuries-old tradition that continues to enchant Japan—and intrigue the world.

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Historical Roots — Where and How It Began

The Naki Sumo Festival isn’t a modern invention—it dates back hundreds of years, with origins intertwined in Japanese folklore and Shinto beliefs. Ancient texts suggest that the ritual began as a way to protect infants from malevolent spirits and ensure their healthy growth. Parents and priests believed that a baby’s loud cry could scare away demons lurking in the household or village.

🏯 Origins in Temples and Local Communities

Initially held at Shinto shrines, the event was both spiritual and communal.
Priests performed blessings, chanting protective prayers while babies were held in the sumo ring.
Villagers contributed by bringing offerings, reinforcing the idea that community involvement was essential for a child’s wellbeing.

📜 Evolution Over Time

From a solemn ritual, it evolved into a festival with friendly competition, where sumo wrestlers now help elicit cries.
Local variations appeared across Japan, each adding unique costumes, chants, and playful rituals.
Modern versions blend traditional beliefs with tourism, making it both a spiritual and cultural showcase.

💡 Fun Fact: The festival was once believed to help children grow taller and stronger—hence the saying: “A loud cry today is a blessing for tomorrow.”

How the Festival Works — Rituals and Competition

At first glance, the Naki Sumo Festival might seem unusual to outsiders: babies are placed in a sumo ring, facing each other or the wrestlers, and encouraged to cry. But every action is steeped in cultural symbolism and centuries of belief.

👶 The Crying Contest

Babies are held by either sumo wrestlers or priests, who gently try to elicit a cry using playful faces, light taps, or funny noises.
The loudest or longest cry is often considered a sign of health, vitality, and spiritual strength.
Parents believe that the louder the baby cries, the more malevolent spirits are driven away.

🎎 Ceremonial Details

Babies often wear traditional robes or miniature festival outfits, adorned with blue (#1F6FE0) and white (#FFFFFF) accents for the festival theme.
Prayers and chants are performed by priests, blessing the children for long life, health, and happiness.
The ritual is conducted in front of an audience of villagers, friends, and families, turning it into a community celebration.

🌸 The Role of Sumo Wrestlers

Wrestlers serve as both entertainers and guardians, holding babies in a safe yet playful manner.
Their presence adds drama and structure to the event, while also emphasizing the protective aspect of the ritual.
Wrestlers often compete subtly, each trying to make their baby cry first—a tradition believed to enhance the festival’s spiritual effectiveness.

💡 Fun Fact: Some shrines even crown a “Crying Baby Champion” for the loudest infant, with a small ceremonial prize to celebrate their spiritual vigor.

Cultural Beliefs Behind the Crying

The Naki Sumo Festival isn’t just playful spectacle — it’s deeply rooted in Japanese spirituality and folklore. For centuries, crying has been considered a ritual of purification and protection.

🌀 Crying as a Spiritual Shield

In traditional belief, a baby’s cry can ward off evil spirits or negative energy.
Villagers see the loud wails as a manifestation of life force, a signal that the child is strong and resilient.
The cry is thought to attract benevolent deities, inviting blessings of health and fortune.

🌿 Historical Roots

Records suggest similar festivals existed as far back as the Edo period (1603–1868), where crying rituals were performed at temples to ensure a safe childhood.
Crying was also tied to agricultural symbolism: just as farmers prayed for rain, families “prayed” through cries for the child’s growth.

💭 Why Parents Participate

Beyond superstition, the festival strengthens community bonds.
Parents feel pride in their child’s participation, seeing it as a rite of passage into social and spiritual life.
Even skeptics appreciate the festival as a cultural celebration, honoring centuries of tradition.

Modern Adaptations — How the Festival Continues Today

While rooted in centuries-old tradition, the Naki Sumo Festival has evolved to fit modern Japan — blending ritual, tourism, and media attention. Today, the event isn’t just a spiritual rite; it’s a lively spectacle celebrated nationwide.

📸 Tourism & Media Spotlight

Each year, families and tourists flock to shrines in Tokyo, Kawasaki, and other regions.
Television and online videos feature babies wailing, capturing adorable and dramatic moments, spreading the festival globally.
The media has transformed crying babies into symbols of resilience and cultural pride, drawing viewers fascinated by unique rituals.

👶 Parent Participation in the 21st Century

Parents no longer just follow tradition — they prepare their children with symbolic clothing, sometimes in miniature kimono or ceremonial robes, making the experience playful and photo-ready.
Social media allows families to share milestones, turning the festival into a modern rite of passage online.
Hospitals and parenting groups sometimes host miniature versions, introducing newborns to the ritual safely.

🎎 Cultural Preservation Meets Entertainment

Some shrines now balance authenticity with entertainment, using music, banners, and staged rituals to engage audiences while respecting tradition.
Educational programs teach visitors why the cries matter, ensuring the deeper cultural meaning isn’t lost.

💡 Global Curiosity

The festival has inspired international coverage, sparking curiosity about other cultural oddities and encouraging cross-cultural appreciation.
Parents from outside Japan sometimes emulate small-scale versions, honoring ritual and fun without the spiritual stakes.

The modern Naki Sumo Festival proves that tradition can adapt. Ancient beliefs meet contemporary values, creating a vibrant celebration where past and present coexist in cries, smiles, and community spirit.

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Health and Safety Considerations

As charming and unusual as the Naki Sumo Festival may seem, one question always arises: is it safe for the babies?

Modern Japan takes this concern seriously, and today’s events are carefully adapted to protect the little ones while keeping tradition alive.

👶 Gentle Handling, Not Rough Wrestling

Despite the name “baby sumo,” there is no actual wrestling match between infants.
The sumo wrestlers or attendants cradle the babies carefully, ensuring they are fully supported.
Crying is encouraged, but never forced through harm. Instead, wrestlers may make funny faces, bounce lightly, or raise the baby slightly to startle them into a cry.

🩺 Medical Oversight & Preparedness

At larger shrines, medical staff are on standby, ready to assist if a child becomes overly distressed or unwell.
Guidelines are provided to parents in advance, ensuring babies are well-fed, rested, and hydrated before participation.
The festival emphasizes that the ritual is symbolic, not stressful — health always comes first.

💡 Why Crying Is Considered Safe — and Even Healthy

Pediatricians note that short bursts of crying do not harm infants; in fact, crying helps expand the lungs and improve circulation.
In the context of the festival, crying is framed as a release of energy and protection, rather than distress.
Babies are usually soothed immediately afterward, often with comforting embraces from parents.

🌍 Balancing Tradition with Modern Sensibilities

In past centuries, the ritual was stricter, but today’s organizers prioritize safety above all.
No harmful practices are tolerated — making the modern festival a safe, joyous event while retaining cultural depth.

⚖️ Why This Matters for Parents and Viewers

The emphasis on health and safety allows families to celebrate heritage without fear, and gives outsiders reassurance that the festival is more playful than punishing. It also highlights how cultures evolve — preserving meaning while adapting to protect the most vulnerable.

👉 In many ways, the Naki Sumo Festival reflects how tradition can survive in a modern world: ritual remains sacred, but compassion becomes the guiding principle.

Global Reactions and Misunderstandings

Whenever videos or images of the Naki Sumo Festival circulate online, they spark a wave of fascination — and sometimes confusion — from audiences around the world.

🌍 Outsider Curiosity

To many who encounter it for the first time, the sight of babies being held aloft by giant sumo wrestlers seems strange, even alarming.
Viewers often wonder: Why would anyone want to make a baby cry?
This cultural gap highlights how symbols can mean different things depending on where you stand.

❌ Common Misunderstandings

“The babies are in danger.”
In reality, they’re safe. Wrestlers are trained, and modern festivals emphasize comfort, care, and medical supervision.
“It’s child cruelty.”
While outsiders may see distress, within Japanese tradition, crying is understood as a blessing and protection — not punishment.
“The ritual is outdated.”
In truth, the event is deeply loved by communities and has adapted to modern safety standards, ensuring its continued relevance.

📢 Media Narratives

Western media often frame the festival as “bizarre” or “unusual,” while Japanese outlets highlight its heritage, joy, and community spirit.
This contrast reveals how cultural context shapes interpretation — what feels unsettling to one audience feels celebratory to another.

💌 The Emotional Layer

Parents who participate see the festival as a symbolic prayer for their child’s future.
For outsiders, however, it may take explanation to appreciate that the crying is viewed as a sign of life, strength, and divine favor.

✨ Bridging the Cultural Gap

The festival serves as a reminder: before judging another tradition, it helps to ask what values it expresses for the people who live it.

Where outsiders see tears, locals see a promise of health, longevity, and protection.

Why the Festival Still Matters Today

Despite modern debates and outside misconceptions, the Naki Sumo Festival continues to thrive because it offers something timeless: a bridge between generations, a reminder of cultural resilience, and a shared prayer for the future.

🌸 A Living Tradition

For centuries, this ritual has been passed down from parents to children, connecting families to their heritage.
Each year’s festival isn’t just a reenactment — it’s a living piece of Japan’s cultural identity that evolves while staying true to its spirit.

👶 Parent-Child Bonding

Participating parents see the ritual as more than symbolic. It becomes a cherished memory, a story they will tell their children as they grow.
The act of entrusting their child to the sumo wrestler symbolizes faith in protection, community, and resilience.

⚖️ Balancing Tradition and Modernity

Japan has modernized rapidly, yet the festival proves that rituals can coexist with progress.
With safety measures, medical presence, and community oversight, the event demonstrates how culture can adapt without losing its essence.

🌍 Global Significance

Beyond Japan, the Naki Sumo Festival sparks global conversations about how we understand health, childhood, and cultural expression.
It stands as an example of how rituals can be misunderstood yet still carry deep meaning for those who live them.

💡 Takeaway

The festival is not just about crying babies — it’s about resilience, continuity, and hope.

It reminds us that culture isn’t static. It breathes, adapts, and survives because people believe in its power.

💬 Invitation to Readers

What do you think? Should cultural rituals be preserved even when they look unusual to outsiders? Share your thoughts below — we’d love to hear different perspectives.

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About the Author — Laura Morini

Laura Morini is a passionate writer, researcher, and lifelong explorer of history, science, and the curious corners of human knowledge. With a background in history and science communication, she blends rigorous research with a gift for storytelling — turning complex ideas into vivid, engaging narratives for readers of all ages.

Over the years, Laura has delved into forgotten libraries, bizarre historical events, mind-bending puzzles, and the hidden wonders of science — uncovering stories that challenge assumptions and ignite curiosity. Her work on CogniVane reflects a deep commitment to accuracy, originality, and thoughtful analysis, bringing even the strangest tales of history and science to life.

When she isn’t writing, Laura enjoys exploring archives, experimenting with creative thought experiments, and connecting ideas across disciplines — always searching for the hidden patterns that make the world endlessly fascinating.

Connect with Laura: Subscribe to the CogniVane Newsletter to stay updated on the latest explorations of history, science, and the beautifully strange sides of human curiosity.