The Käel Festival is an annual ritual of the Body (Meën) tribe, typically held in mid-June. This unique tradition features a competition among various Body tribe villages to crown the most well-fed, thickest, and fattest young man from the participants representing their respective villages.
The festival is a vibrant spectacle, rich in cultural expression, where men adorn their faces with ashes and engage in dancing, singing, and war cries, creating an atmosphere of celebration and unity.
Cultural Significance
For the Body tribe, Käel holds deep cultural importance:
Preserving Heritage – It serves as a way to honor their traditions and pass down cultural values to future generations.
Strengthening Community – The event reinforces social bonds and unity among the villages.
Offering Gratitude – Most importantly, the festival is an expression of gratitude to their God for blessing them with fertile land, abundant pastures, and the livestock that sustain their way of life.
The Selection & Preparation Process
The village leaders and elders hold the exclusive power to select and admit participants into the contest. Each village selects two challengers to represent them in the annual competition.
Once chosen, the contestants undergo a strict feeding regimen for up to six months, though usually for three, depending on their body weight at the time of selection. During this period, they are fed solely on animal products such as blood, milk, and honey. This diet continues until the final moments of the competition, ensuring they reach the peak of their physical form for the contest.
The Käel Festival is more than just a competition—it is a symbol of pride, prosperity, and deep-rooted cultural identity, making it one of the most remarkable traditions of the Body tribe.