Ethiopia is a unique country that has preserved its culture despite the western civilization,
The Bodi Tribe which has a strange cultural practice is found at the Lower Omo valley river in Southern Ethiopia.
The Bodi people are agriculturists, and still practice trade by barter
The Bodi people have high regard for their cows. It is so special to them that its blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for these people. Rather than kill the cows, they make a hole in one of its veins to get the blood out and close it back with clay.
These animals are also used in certain ceremonies. Among the ceremonies is the peculiar new year celebration.
At the beginning of each year [the month of June in the Gregorian calendar], they hold a Ka’el ceremony (ceremony of fat men) to mark the new year celebrations. The Ka’el ceremony is a competition that involves men who are not married in which they drink the mixture of cow blood and its milk. The 14 clans present a man who is single and are deemed fit for the competition. Those who are contesting prepare themselves for six months. During this period, he must not participate in any sexual activity or sex and must not be seen outside his hut.
Two liters of the mixture is what they can drink, so it is unusual to see these contestants vomit.
These contestants run around sacred trees for hours As part of the competition, sometimes with the assistance of women. While at it, they are under the watchful eyes of their judges.
After this, the people use a sacred stone on a cow before killing it. The intestines are then used to predict what the year holds. When a winner is chosen by the elderly judges, they crown him, “fat man of the year.”
Just like other beauty pageants, there is a prize only this time, it is the lifelong admiration of the Bodi people.
