Being fat is considered a ‘symbol of beauty’ in this tribe. Girls consider themselves lucky by marrying a fat man
Bodi tribe people drink a cocktail of blood and milk (symbolic photo)
A remote Ethiopian tribe holds an annual competition where the tribesmen spend six months drinking cow’s blood and milk to see who can become the fattest in the village. According to media reports, the men participating in the competition have to stay in their hut and stay away from sexual intercourse and other pleasures for the whole six months.
Cow’s blood and milk are mixed in a terrific cocktail and regularly served to the men by the women of the village. Eric Lafforgue, a French photographer who has spent time with the tribe, told the Daily Mail, ‘Fat people drink milk and blood throughout the day.’
some people vomit
He explains, ‘The first bowl of blood is drunk at sunrise and there are many flies present at that place. Man has to drink it quickly before it freezes but some people cannot drink it and vomit.’ The Bodi tribe lives in a remote corner of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley and participates in ‘sacred’ rituals every year.
On a special day exactly six months after the feast, fat people come out of their huts and claim their incredible new physique. In the ceremony of victory, men walk around a sacred tree for hours while the rest of the villagers watch from afar. Laforgue said that some men have to take several breaks because they become so fat that they are unable to walk.
Marrying a fat person is a matter of luck
The fattest man, voted by the people, is crowned as a ‘hero’ for the rest of his life. According to The African, all men participating in the contest must be unmarried, and winning reportedly increases their chances of getting married.
According to the report, it is a privilege for any girl from the tribe to marry a ‘fat man’. Once the ceremony is over men return to their working life and their belly usually subsides after a few weeks. Then after a month or two, another round of competitions starts and once again people start gaining weight and this cycle continues.
Being fat is every child’s dream
The people of Bodi tribe not only consider being fat as the most beautiful, but they also consider the marks on the body to be attractive. Women reportedly believe that the more marks they have on their bodies, the more pleasant it is for a man to touch them. These marks on the body are made with knives, razors and sticks without any fear of infection.
Laforgue remembers the time when he reached there during a competition. He tells that a contestant started drinking blood and milk in the car because he wanted to keep trying to be the fattest till the last moment. He further said that it is every body child’s dream to become a ‘fat man’.
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