Ethiopia – Slim might be trending elsewhere in the world, but for
Ethiopia’s Bodi (or Me’en) people, bigger is always better. The tribe,
which lives in a remote corner of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, is home to an
unusual ritual which sees young men gorge on cow’s blood and milk in a
bid to be crowned the fattest man.
Six months after starting the
regime, the men emerge to show off their newly engorged physiques, and
for a winner to be chosen. The champion fat man is then feted as a hero
for the rest of his life.
The Ka’el, or the New Year, ritual and the Bodi’s traditional
way of life is under threat from the Ethiopian government who plan to
resettle 300,000 people from all over the country on their lands. For
now, the tribe continue as they always have, and still celebrate Ka’el
in traditional style each.
The contest begins six months before the ceremony. Every family is
allowed to present an unmarried man for the challenge, who, after being
chosen, retires to his hut and must not move or have sex for the
duration.
Food comes in the form of a cow’s blood and milk mixture, served regularly to the men by women from the village.
The cows are sacred to the Bodi tribe, so they are not killed. The blood
is taken by making a hole in a vein with a spear or an axe, and after
that, they close it with clay.
Because of the scorching
temperatures, the men have to drink the two-litre bowl of blood and milk
quickly before it coagulates. But not everyone can handle drinking so
much at speed. The fat men drink milk and blood all day long. The first
bowl of blood is drunk at sunrise. The place is invaded by flies. The
man must drink it quickly before it coagulates, but some cannot drink
everything and vomit it.
photo - The Bigger, The Better: These Men Drink Milk And Blood To Be Crowned Fattest Man And Be Hero Until Death (PHOTOS)
Because
of the scorching temperatures, the men have to drink the two-litre bowl
of blood and milk quickly before it coagulates. But not everyone can
handle drinking so much at speed. The fat men drink milk and blood all
day long. The first bowl of blood is drunk at sunrise. The place is
invaded by flies. The man must drink it quickly before it coagulates,
but some cannot drink everything and vomit it.
photo - The Bigger, The Better: These Men Drink Milk And Blood To Be Crowned Fattest Man And Be Hero Until Death (PHOTOS)
On
the day itself, the men cover their bodies with clay and ashes before
emerging from their huts for the walk to the spot where the ceremony
will take place.
The Bigger, The Better: These Men Drink Milk And Blood To Be Crowned Fattest Man And Be Hero Until Death (PHOTOS)
Thanks to the weight gain, many of them find covering the short distance tougher than the weeks spent fattening up.
photo - The Bigger, The Better: These Men Drink Milk And Blood To Be Crowned Fattest Man And Be Hero Until Death (PHOTOS)
The
ceremony itself involves spending hours walking in a circle around a
sacred tree, watched by the other men and helped by the women who ply
them with alcohol and wipe away the sweat.
Once the fattest man
has been chosen, the ceremony ends with the slaughter of a cow using a
huge sacred stone. Village elders will then inspect the stomach and the
blood to see whether the future will be a bright one or not.
photo - The Bigger, The Better: These Men Drink Milk And Blood To Be Crowned Fattest Man And Be Hero Until Death (PHOTOS)
After
the ceremony, the men’s lives return to normal, and most lose their
enormous bellies after a few weeks of eating sparingly. But a few weeks
later, the next generation of competitively fat Bodi men will be chosen
and the cycle will begin again.
Wednesday demolished a one-storey