ठेचो मतया Jatra Mataya in Thecho, Lalitpur, Nepal, 12 August 2014

Jatra Mataya is a Newari festival that takes place in the Kathmandu Valley at the end of the rice planting. Matayā (मतया:) (meaning "light procession" in Nepal Bhasa) is one of the most important religious celebrations in Lalitpur. The festival celebrates the event when the Buddha overcame Mara, or temptation, and attained the light of wisdom.
The procession visits every shrine in the village in a winding file and offer worship to the images. The participants also consists of musical bands and actors dressed in colorful costumes. The circuitous festival route takes the whole day to complete.
Thecho, at 1440m in the Kathmandu valley, is a Newar village of around 10,000 people 14 kilometres from Kathmandu.