During Nepal's Janai Purnima – known as the Sacred Thread Festival – Hindu men perform an annual changing of their Janai. This yellow cotton string is often tied around the wrist of their right hand, or sometimes across the chest and is believed to protect people from diseases and misfortune.

People from India also celebrate this festival under a different name; Rakchhya Bandhan. Sisters tie attractive Rakhis on their brothers' wrists wishing them a long and healthy life.

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Close-up of a hand lighting incense on the ground at night in Varanasi.
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