culturesapart

The demon dance: Nepali dancer Laxman Ranjit (C) performing the “Lakhe” dance in Kathmandu. The feared demon dancer finally danced again after a two-year break at this year’s Indra Jatra festival, an annual celebration that marks the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the harvest. The Lakhe is meant to protect the city from evil, but Laxman Ranjit, who comes from a long line of Lakhe dancers, broke with a centuries-old tradition and refused to dance for two years, mourning the loss of his w