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Bodi: Ethiopian tribe where men compete to have big belly in the village

Slim might be in elsewhere but for the Bodi tribe of Ethiopia, big is beautiful.

Men of the Ethiopian tribe compete to be the fattest in the village by drinking a mixture of cow’s blood and milk, while in isolation for about six months.

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The cows are sacred to the tribe situated in Ethiopia’s Omo valley and so they are not killed for the ritual.

The blood is drawn from the cow by piercing it with a spear then later the hole filled with clay.

Young men are selected from a specific village and fed with special meals and the aforementioned concoction for six months, living away from other villagers.

Because of high temperatures in the area, the men drink the two-litre of the concoction quickly before it coagulates, and those who vomit in the process are immediately disqualified.

Bodi Tribe
Men of the Ethiopian tribe compete to be the fattest in the village by drinking a mixture of cow’s blood and milk, while in isolation for about six months Photo: Daily Mail

After the six months, the men emerge and show off their huge bellies in a special event with the winner of the competition feted as a hero for the rest of his life.

On the final day, the men design their bodies in clay and leave their huts for the venue of the ceremony.

During the ceremony, the men walk around a sacred tree as other men and women watch.

The women are tasked with wiping away sweat from the men and supplying them with drinks of water and fortifying alcohol.

Once the fattest man is chosen, the Jeremy is concluded by slaughtering a cow using a sacred stone after which village elders inspect the stomach and the blood to find out if the winner’s future.

After the ceremony, the men resume their normal lives with the huge bellies disappearing after weeks of eating sparingly.

After a few weeks, a similar competition is held.

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The winner remains a hero for life even though his stomach gets back to normal.

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