Inside the Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival: Bizarre 400-year-old event where staff in demon masks try to make competing babies cry

The sound of a baby crying is the last thing new parents (and anyone sitting next to them) wants to hear.

But at a 400-year-old Japanese festival that is exactly what the aim is.

The Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival is as bizarre as it sounds - it celebrates the belief that babies crying will bring the youngsters good health and fortune in the future, as well as warding off any evil spirits or demons.

For one day each year, bawling babies compete against each other, held in the arms of sumo wrestlers. The winner is usually the first baby who wails in the 'crying sumo' ring.

Donning their tiny sumo belts and aprons, more than 100 little ones will square off in a ring where hulking sumo wrestlers hold them and do their best to try to make them burst into tears.

Their parents head down to various dohyo's in Japan and the babies compete against each other, two at a time.

The babies are held up by the sumo wrestlers who attempt to get them to shed a tear by taunting them.

They gently attempt to get a reaction from the babies, using a range of amusing techniques including growling. 

However, sometimes the youngsters aren't fazed, or often even burst into laughter. If they fail to cry within a few seconds, the referee, dressed in a handsome robe, intervenes.

The referee has to take things up a notch to attempt to scare the young babies by wearing traditional scary masks or making faces and loud noises, getting them to cry. 

The festival is held across Japan, with the rules varying from region to region as in some regions, the baby who cries first is considered the loser - in others, it's all about which baby cries the loudest, with the quieter one losing.

It may seem cruel to outsiders, but the ceremony is said to keep the infants safe from evil forces as well as bring them luck. 

A saying which is associated with the festival is 'naku ko wa sodatsu,' which means 'crying babies will grow up fast'.

Japanese legend states that the loud cry of a baby will ward off bad spirits and ensure the child grows up to be healthy and strong. 

While the biggest event is held at Asakusa’s Sensoji, it also takes place in various other spots across Japan.

The Asakusa event is so popular that a lottery system is used for paretns to secure one of the 100 coveted spots.

Getting the chance for your baby to compete is a privilege due to the tears encouraging good health.

The babies are held aloft so that their cries are closer to heaven and uring the 400-year-old competition, their parents pray for the good health of their children. 

This year's event is taking place this weekend on April 28 and the venue will be filled with  parents, babies, relatives, Japanese spectators and tourists from the world who turn up to observe the event.

Entry is free to the popular festival and two rounds will be held, the first at 11.10am and the second at 2.20pm, behind the main building of Sensoji.