"Newa: New Year"

#13041226

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041227

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041228

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041229

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041230

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#13041231

30 November 2025

Girls from the Newa community take part in the Bel Bibaha ceremony, in which they are symbolically married to a bael fruit (wood apple), at Banglamukhi Temple in Lalitpur, Nepal, on November 29, 2025. The ritual is performed for girls aged between 5 and 9 years, typically before they reach puberty. The ceremony, also called the Ihi ceremony, is rooted in Hindu and Tantric traditions and serves to protect girls from social stigma, especially widowhood. The fruit symbolizes the god Vishnu, ensuring the girl is symbolically married to a divine entity for life.

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#12894281

22 October 2025

Members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to mark ''Nepal Sambat'' Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894282

22 October 2025

Members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to mark ''Nepal Sambat'' Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894285

22 October 2025

Members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to mark ''Nepal Sambat'' Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894287

22 October 2025

Members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to mark ''Nepal Sambat'' Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894290

22 October 2025

Members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to mark ''Nepal Sambat'' Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894279

22 October 2025

A band of members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu dons traditional attire, plays musical instruments, and dances while marking ''Nepal Sambat'' - Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894283

22 October 2025

A band of members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu dons traditional attire, plays musical instruments, and dances while marking ''Nepal Sambat'' - Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894284

22 October 2025

A band of members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu dons traditional attire, plays musical instruments, and dances while marking ''Nepal Sambat'' - Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894286

22 October 2025

A member of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu participates in a parade marking the ''Nepal Sambat'' - Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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#12894289

22 October 2025

A band of members of the aboriginal Newa: community of Kathmandu dons traditional attire, plays musical instruments, and dances while marking ''Nepal Sambat'' - Newari New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, on October 22, 2025. The Newa: community marks this day as New Year's Day, honoring the indigenous calendar of Nepal. Shankhadhar Sakhwa initiates the Nepal Sambat in 880 AD when he relieves the people from debt during the reign of Lichchhavi King Raghavdev. In recognition of his significant contribution, the government declares Sakhwa a national luminary on November 18, 1999.

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