A young devotee of the Nine Emperor Gods has a large needle pushed through his cheek during the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival in the southern province of Phuket on October 1, 2016. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)

Idols of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, are transported to places of worship on the first day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, September 5, 2016. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

A devotee takes a holy bath in River Saali in Sankhu on the first day of Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Kathmandu January 5, 2015. During the month long festival, devotees recite one chapter of a Hindu tale daily from the 31-chapter sacred Swasthani Brata Katha book that is dedicated to God Madhavnarayan and Goddess Swasthani, alongside various other gods and goddess and the miraculous feats performed by them. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Devotees take a holy bath during the Swasthani Brata Katha festival in Kathmandu January 20, 2015. During the month-long festival, devotees recite one chapter of a Hindu tale daily from the 31-chapter sacred Swasthani Brata Katha book that is dedicated to God Madhavnarayan and Goddess Swasthani, alongside various other gods and goddesses and the miraculous feats performed by them. The devotees also go on pilgrimages to various temples, perform religious rituals, take a holy bath in the rivers and fast for a month, especially among women who believe fasting helps in their family's well-being or in getting them a good husband. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Masked dancers perform a ritualistic dance at Kathmandu Durbar Square during the procession of erecting a sacred pole locally called “Ya: Shi”, marking the formal start of Indra Jatra dedicated to rain god Indra in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Villagers take part in a ritual celebrating the pagan god Yurya and pray for plentiful future harvests in the village of Pogost, Belarus May 6, 2016. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

A devotee, dressed as Hindu God Shiva, looks out from a window as he waits to perform during the annual Shiva Gajan religious festival on the outskirts of Agartala, India April 13, 2018. (Photo by Jayanta Dey/Reuters)