A child dressed as Hindu God Shiva begs for alms from devotees at the Sangam, the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on the Makar Sankranti festival during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, January 14, 2024. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take dips in the confluence, hoping to wash away sins during the month-long festival. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

A man looks at a statue of the Greek god Poseidon on a beach during the passage of tropical storm Beryl in Progreso, on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, on July 5, 2024. Beryl weakened to a tropical storm Friday after hitting Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, with fierce winds causing material damage but no injuries along the tourist-rich Yucatan Peninsula. (Photo by Hugo Borges/AFP Photo)

“The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and also the Riau Islands. In Thailand, this festival is called Tesagan Gin Je, the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed”. – Wikipedia. Photo: A devotee gest pierced at the Bang Neow shrine in Phuket. (Photo by Paula Bronstein)

A naked Hindu holy man arrives to bath in the Godavari River during Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik, India, Saturday, August 29, 2015. Hindus believe taking a dip in the waters of a holy river during the festival, will cleanse them of their sins. According to Hindu mythology, the Kumbh Mela celebrates the victory of gods over demons in a furious battle over a nectar that would give them immortality. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)

Bangladeshi Muslims travel on the roof of an overcrowded train as they head to their hometowns ahead of Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, September 1, 2017. The festival commemorates the story of Abraham and his readiness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, who provided a lamb to be used instead. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)

A participant wearing a motorcycle helmet gets sprayed with firecrackers, during the “Beehive Firecrackers” festival at the Yanshui district in Tainan, Taiwan on March 1, 2018. According to Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, the “beehive” festival started in the late 1885 as a request to the gods to spare Yanshui from a cholera outbreak which was making its way through the villages. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A devotee offers oil lamps on top of his body as part of a ritual during Dashain, the biggest religious festival for Hindus in Bhaktapur, Nepal, October 22, 2015. Hindus in Nepal celebrate victory over evil during the festival by flying kites, feasting, playing swings, sacrificing animals and worshipping the Goddess Durga as well as other gods and goddess as part of celebrations held throughout the country. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Carriers of the Great God Power brotherhood unload Virgen del Carmen statue after its journey on July 15, 2014 at Puerto de la Cruz dock on the Canary island of Tenerife, Spain. Since 1921, the statue of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of fishermen, has been carried with great fanfare annually as part of July Festivities to the Puerto de la Cruz dock where, at the end of its procession, it is hoisted aboard a decorated boat. Weather permitting, the boat carrying the statue, accompanied by a flotilla of other boats, makes a short journey along the island coast before returning to the harbour. In recent years, attendance at the event has numbered more than 35,000 people. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)