The government has declared a public holiday in the Kathmandu Valley on Sunday to celebrate the Bhoto Jatra.

On the occasion of the festival, a public holiday has been declared in the three districts of Kathmandu Valley [Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur], according to a statement by Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Friday.

The government announces a public holiday each year on this occasion.

The month-long chariot-pulling festival of Rato Machhindranath concludes with the displaying of a bhoto (a jewel-studded vest) at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. It is an annual cultural and religious ritual of displaying the black jewel-studded vest believed to be of then Nagraj, the serpent King.

Machhindranath is revered as the God of rain, good harvest and prosperity. Paying homage to Lord Machhindranath is believed to bring good luck and fulfil one’s wishes.