"nature ritual"

#13057220

4 December 2025

Members of Nepal's Kirat community take part in the mass celebration of the Sakela-Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Hundreds of Kirati community members gather in Lalitpur, dancing and praying to the god with the onset of the harvest festival, which is also known as Udhauli. Kirant men and women clad in traditional attire observe the festival by beating drums, cymbals, imitating the activities of birds and other animals, and exchanging greetings with each other. This festival is celebrated by worshiping land and ancestors in hopes of getting better crops, health, and property. Kirat Mundhum, the holy book of Kirat, mentions that the year of 365 days is divided into two phases: Ubhauli (going up) and Udhauli (going down). In old days, people move uphill and downhill during these seasons. Ubhauli is celebrated every year on Baishak Sulka Purnima, on the same day as Buddha Purnima/Buddha Jayanti in the Nepali month of Baishak (April-May). Traditionally, during the summer, the Kirat people move uphill to avoid the heat and malaria. They perform Ubhauli rituals before they move and during that, they worship their ancestors and nature for better health and crops. Traditionally, the Kirat people climb up to the mountains in summer to avoid the heat and malaria (epidemic) after performing the Ubhauli rituals. During these traditional rituals, they worship their ancestors and nature, seeking better wealth and crops. At the start of winter, with similar rituals for Udhauli, they move down the hill.

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#13056098

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056099

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056100

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056101

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056102

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056103

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056104

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13056105

4 December 2025

The Kirat community wears traditional dress, plays traditional musical instruments, and celebrates the Sakela Udhauli festival in Lalitpur, Nepal, on December 4, 2025. Udhauli is an annual festival that marks the beginning of winter and involves migrating to lower altitudes. It is also a time to give thanks to Mother Nature for a bountiful harvest. The festival includes rituals like Chula puja and Sakela dances, which celebrate the harmony between nature and the Kirat way of life.

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#13022241

24 November 2025

A cold water swimmer is seen preparing for a dip in the ice cold waters of the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland on 23 November, 2025.

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#13022234

24 November 2025

A woman holding an umbrella is seen during snowfall on a beach on the right bank of the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland on 23 November, 2025.

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#13022237

24 November 2025

A cold water swimmer is seen in the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland on 23 November, 2025.

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#13022212

24 November 2025

Winter swimmers are seen enduring the cold waters of the Vistula river in Warsaw, Poland on 23 November, 2025. Sunday marked the opening of the cold water swimming season in Warsaw. Every Sunday winter swimming enthusiasts gather to endure the cold waters of the Vistula river and afterwards socialise on the beach with a cup of warm pumpkin soup.

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#12933006

1 November 2025

In Krakow, Poland, on November 1, 2025, Jesus' gravestone sculpture is at Rakowicki Cemetery during All Saints' Day. November 1 is celebrated in Catholicism as All Saints' Day. This holiday has existed since the 9th century, when Pope Gregory IV establishes it. On this day, people visit the graves of loved ones, light candles, and lay flowers.

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#12933012

1 November 2025

In Krakow, Poland, on November 1, 2025, Jesus' gravestone sculpture is at Rakowicki Cemetery during All Saints' Day. November 1 is celebrated in Catholicism as All Saints' Day. This holiday has existed since the 9th century, when Pope Gregory IV establishes it. On this day, people visit the graves of loved ones, light candles, and lay flowers.

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#12932997

1 November 2025

Graves at Rakowicki Cemetery during All Saints' Day in Krakow, Poland, on November 1, 2025. November 1 is celebrated in Catholicism as All Saints' Day. This holiday exists since the 9th century, when Pope Gregory IV establishes it. On this day, people visit the graves of loved ones, light candles, and lay flowers.

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