Their faces covered in colourful powder, this is how Nepalese revellers celebrate the New Year – marking the start of 2071.

The Bisket Jatra festival takes place over nine days in Bhaktapur, Nepal, with rituals and dancing – as well as symbolic offerings to god-like figures.

During the celebrations, a three-storey wooden chariot carrying the revered idol of Bhairab is pulled through the narrow streets by local men, before a huge tree trunk is erected – representing the union of man and woman.

The religious festival – which marks the year 2071 in the Bikram calendar – also sees locals sacrificing chickens for a statue of god-figure Lingam.

This year’s festivities will run from April 10 to 19.

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