"initiation ritual"

#12627000

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12627001

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12627002

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12627003

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12627004

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12627005

9 August 2025

Novice priests known as ''Batuks'' take a holy bath before performing rituals during the Janai Purnima Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 9, 2025.

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#12515559

29 June 2025

A devotee offers prayers after presenting saffron robes to newly ordained hill tribe Buddhist novice monks during a mass Buddhist monk ordination ceremony for hill tribe men at Wat Benchamabophit, also known as the Marble Temple, in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 29, 2025.

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#12515560

29 June 2025

A devotee offers prayers after presenting saffron robes to newly ordained hill tribe Buddhist novice monks during a mass Buddhist monk ordination ceremony for hill tribe men at Wat Benchamabophit, also known as the Marble Temple, in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 29, 2025.

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#12454370

8 June 2025

The Scientology Church of Austria and the Dianetics Information Center are located on a residential street in Vienna, Austria, on June 7, 2025.

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#12377136

17 May 2025

An elderly member of Nepal's indigenous Kirat community in traditional attire poses for a photo while they gather to perform the Shakela dance and celebrate Ubhauli in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 17, 2025. Kirant men and women clad in traditional attire observe the festival by beating drums and 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 the past, people used to 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, during which they worship their ancestors and nature for better health and crops. Sakela is the biggest festival that the Kirats of Nepal celebrate. Ubhauli and Udhauli are the two main festivals of Sakela. Ubhauli means upward, and Udhauli means downward. Every year, Ubhauli is celebrated on Baishak Sulka Purnima, on the same day as Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti. Sakela Ubhauli falls in the month of Baishak (April-May), and Sakela Udhauli falls during the month of Mangsir (October-November) of the Bikram Sambat calendar. Traditionally, the Kirat people climb up to the mountains in summer to avoid the heat and malaria 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. The Kirat have a strong belief in dead ancestors and nature. They believe ancestors would...

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#12276426

18 April 2025

Father Pat Murphy from La Casa del Migrante in Tijuana, Mexico, washes the feet of a woman during the annual foot washing ceremony where volunteers wash and clean the feet of migrants, on April 17, 2025.

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#12002167

31 January 2025

Members of the Newar community perform a dance accompanied by traditional musical instruments following a Bratabandha ritual in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Bratabandha is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist ceremony that marks a boy's transition into manhood, involving rituals such as head-shaving. 'Bratabandha' derives from Sanskrit, meaning 'promise to be bound.'

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#12002168

31 January 2025

Members of the Newar community perform a dance accompanied by traditional musical instruments following a Bratabandha ritual in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Bratabandha is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist ceremony that marks a boy's transition into manhood, involving rituals such as head-shaving. 'Bratabandha' derives from Sanskrit, meaning 'promise to be bound.'

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#12002169

31 January 2025

Members of the Newar community perform a dance accompanied by traditional musical instruments following a Bratabandha ritual in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Bratabandha is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist ceremony that marks a boy's transition into manhood, involving rituals such as head-shaving. 'Bratabandha' derives from Sanskrit, meaning 'promise to be bound.'

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#12002170

31 January 2025

Members of the Newar community perform a dance accompanied by traditional musical instruments following a Bratabandha ritual in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Bratabandha is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist ceremony that marks a boy's transition into manhood, involving rituals such as head-shaving. 'Bratabandha' derives from Sanskrit, meaning 'promise to be bound.'

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#12002171

31 January 2025

Members of the Newar community perform a dance accompanied by traditional musical instruments following a Bratabandha ritual in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Bratabandha is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist ceremony that marks a boy's transition into manhood, involving rituals such as head-shaving. 'Bratabandha' derives from Sanskrit, meaning 'promise to be bound.'

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