Slim might be it in elsewhere 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.
Now the
little known rite is the subject of incredible photos taken by French
shutterbug Eric Lafforgue - who spent time with the Bodi while travelling
through south-western Ethiopia during the run up to the Bodi New Year or Ka'el
ceremony.
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,' explains Lafforgue. '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 as Lafforgue reveals, not everyone
can handle drinking so much at speed.
'The fat men
drink milk and blood all day long,' he says. '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.'
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.
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