Gai Jatra festival is observed on Tuesday in Kathmandu and other places in the country.

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

Participants in the festival disguise themselves as cows in elaborate costumes, facemasks, and headgear. 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 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 the Gai Jatra celebrations at Basantapur by Post’s photographer Deepak KC.