All men of the tribe full.
In the valley of the lower course of the OMO river in Ethiopia (East Africa), is home to 50 different tribes. Their way of life virtually unchanged. This region has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Out of all the tribes there are two most famous for its unusual appearance: Mursi women of this tribe wear in the bottom lip special plates) and body.
We stop their attention on the latter. If, in General, men of all tribes in the OMO valley lean, sinewy and muscular, the men of the tribe bodi on the contrary, full.
The women of the tribe bodi are famous for their graceful beauty: slender, with large and expressive eyes. Men, on the contrary, very full, with big bellies. Plumper than the male, the more attractive to women.
Every year, with the onset of the month of June, the tribe selects the most prominent member of the tribe, the very fat man. Representatives of the stronger sex, who wish to take an honourable position in society, must be unmarried. Preparation for the event lasts from 3 to 6 months.
During this time men sit on high-calorie diet based on cow’s blood with milk. Is food double in some cases triple, the weight. Some participants remind women who is about to give birth.
When it comes time x, in the village feast. The villagers are dancing, having fun. Here’s one of the peoples inhabiting Ethiopia.
And then comes the turn to measure the girth of the bellies and to weigh participants. The winner becomes the king of the day and in reward receives the hand of the prettiest girl in the tribe.
The reason why worship is man’s completeness? Unlike most of the neighboring tribes, body are neither hunters nor warriors. They don’t have a slender and athletic build, to get food. They contain a lot of cows, so they can feed their families. Thus, the full the man at tribe body is a symbol of prosperity.
True, there are problems associated with rapid weight gain. The level of cholesterol in the blood becomes extremely high, and men often suffer from cardiovascular diseases. So many young people after the holiday are trying to lose weight and regain a good physical shape. It’s all thanks to the efforts of doctors who work in this region and gradually try to introduce a healthy lifestyle. Who knows, perhaps very soon this custom in Ethiopia will disappear forever.
Until recently, grazing was the only means of life. But because of the tsetse flies affecting cows, body make timid attempts to engage in agriculture. Because of this, they lead a more settled way of life. Does this mean that they will abandon nomadism? Let’s wait and see. Meanwhile, the tribe continues its normal life: talking to the cows, singing their songs and looking for new pastures.
