"ancestral rituals"

#13047603

1 December 2025

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah and his brother perform the last rites of their late father, Dr. Ramnarayan Shah, during the funeral at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 1, 2025. Family members, relatives, and well-wishers gather to pay their final respects during the cremation rituals.

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#13047605

1 December 2025

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah and his brother perform the last rites of their late father, Dr. Ramnarayan Shah, during the funeral at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 1, 2025. Family members, relatives, and well-wishers gather to pay their final respects during the cremation rituals.

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#13001805

18 November 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees flock to the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 18, 2025, on the eve of the Bala Chaturdashi festival, a festival observed for the salvation of departed souls. The devotees camp to stay awake throughout the night, taking care of the lamps on the eve of Bala Chaturdashi, performing this ritual for the salvation of the souls of deceased ones. The festival of Bala Chaturdashi starts from Marga Krishna Trayodashi, the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir (8th month according to the Nepali calendar). Devotees who observe this ritual maintain strict fasting, with only one meal that day, and abstain from garlic, onions, fish, eggs, and other food items that are said to be impure. In the evening, they reach the Pashupatinath temple or shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and chant hymns and prayers to Lord Shiva all night long. They light ''Akhanda Jyoti'' in the name of the deceased souls of their families. The next morning, Marga Krishna Chaturdashi, they take a holy bath and start their journey around the Pashupatinath temple premises, spreading seven kinds of grains along the way.

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#13001824

18 November 2025

Nepali Hindu devotees flock to the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on November 18, 2025, on the eve of the Bala Chaturdashi festival, a festival observed for the salvation of departed souls. The devotees camp to stay awake throughout the night, taking care of the lamps on the eve of Bala Chaturdashi, performing this ritual for the salvation of the souls of deceased ones. The festival of Bala Chaturdashi starts from Marga Krishna Trayodashi, the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir (8th month according to the Nepali calendar). Devotees who observe this ritual maintain strict fasting, with only one meal that day, and abstain from garlic, onions, fish, eggs, and other food items that are said to be impure. In the evening, they reach the Pashupatinath temple or shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and chant hymns and prayers to Lord Shiva all night long. They light ''Akhanda Jyoti'' in the name of the deceased souls of their families. The next morning, Marga Krishna Chaturdashi, they take a holy bath and start their journey around the Pashupatinath temple premises, spreading seven kinds of grains along the way.

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#12942148

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942149

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942153

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942158

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942165

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942167

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942170

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942171

3 November 2025

Participants in costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942147

3 November 2025

Participants in traditional costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942150

3 November 2025

Participants take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942151

3 November 2025

A participant in traditional costume takes part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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#12942152

3 November 2025

Children in traditional costumes take part in the annual Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Mexico. Dia de los Muertos, rooted in Indigenous Mexican and ancient Aztec influences, honors deceased loved ones with altars, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and offerings meant to guide returning spirits. The multiday celebration includes parades, family gatherings, cemetery visits, and rituals that blend remembrance with festive cultural expression.

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