Victory over evil in Nepal
During the festival of Dashain, the highlight of the religious calendar in Nepal, Hindu devotees celebrate victory over evil by flying kites, feasting, playing on swings and sacrificing animals including water buffalo.
In celebrations throughout the Himalayan nation, the faithful worship deities including the Goddess Durga, who according to legend was created to overcome a buffalo demon. Many living in the capital return to their towns and villages for the festivities.
A boy flies a kite.
A man plays on a traditional swing.
A woman walks towards the temple to pray.
A devotee sits with lighted oil lamps while offering prayers.
A worshipper wears a locket with a portrait of Lord Ganesh.
A man stands inside a temple.
Goats wait to be unloaded from a vehicle at a livestock market.
People cheer as they splash water on a buffalo to prepare it for sacrifice.
People watch as a buffalo is readied for sacrifice.
Priests covered in bloodstains perform rituals in front of a buffalo carcass.
Devotees tear meat from the sacrificed buffalo carcass.
The heads of slaughtered water buffalos and goats lie on the ground.
Priests covered in bloodstains carry offerings.
Devotees gather at a temple.
