Gaijatra festival is being celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley and in some other places in the country today.

Members of the Newa community of Kathmandu Valley observe the festival to commemorate those who have passed away in the past year.

Participants of the festival disguise themselves as cows in elaborate costumes, facemasks and headgears. Families of the bereaved offer fruits, beaten rice, curd and money to those participating in the procession.

It is believed that during the Malla period, to comfort the grief-stricken queen after the death of her son, King Pratap Malla established the tradition of taking out a procession with people dressed in costumes to cheer her up.

The participants of the cow procession, drawn from different villages of Bhaktapur, have circumambulated the main urban areas including Basantapur.

The festival, beginning on the first day of the waning moon in the month of Bhadra as per the lunar calendar, lasts for a week.

Here are some photos of Gaijatra celebrated in Bhaktapur by Post’s photographer Angad Dhakal.