Nepalese celebrate ‘Sindoor Jatra’ to mark the Nepali New Year

A man gets his face smeared with vermilion-colored powder during the ‘Sindoor Jatra’, part of the Bisket Jatra, in Thimi, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, 15 April 2026. Thousands of Nepalese gathered to celebrate the Bisket Jatra festival, which marks the Nepali New Year 2083, especially among the ethnic Newar communities in Bhaktapur. During the festival, Newar devotees visit temples, carry chariots of Hindu gods and goddesses, and smear vermilion-colored powder on each other’s faces as part of the Sindoor Jatra celebration.