Dogs get their day at Hindu festival dedicated to them in Nepal

People gather to worship a dog at Sneha’s Care, a shelter for street dogs, during the Kukur Tihar or the festival of dogs as part of Tihar celebration in Lalitpur, Nepal October 24, 2022. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

LALITPUR, Nepal (Reuters) - Dog lovers of Nepal honoured canines on Monday, putting bright orange garlands around their necks and indulging them with treats to celebrate a Hindu festival highlighting the loyalty of dogs to humans.

At a dog shelter in Lalitpur, a city on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu, volunteers, residents and tourists took part in "Kukur Tihar", a ceremony that takes place on the second day of a five-day Hindu festival devoted to animals associated with Yamaraj, the god of death and justice.