Worshippers queue at the Qalandia Israeli checkpoint as they wait to cross into Jerusalem to perform the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israel announced that it will cap the number of Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday.

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Hundreds of pilgrims from across Nepal and India gathered at Kathmandu’s revered Pashupatinath Temple to celebrate the sacred festival of Maha Shivaratri, held in honour of the Hindu deity Shiva.

The sprawling temple complex was filled with devotion as worshippers offered prayers, lit oil lamps and observed rituals throughout the day and night. One of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar, Maha Shivaratri draws devotees and visitors seeking spiritual reflection and blessings.

Holy men, known as sadhus, were among the most prominent participants, following long-standing traditions of meditation and prayer, with their bodies smeared in sacred ashes. Authorities facilitated smooth arrangements for pilgrims, ensuring security and orderly access to the temple grounds.

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Worshippers at a Buddhist temple in Tokushima City in western Japan, followed ascetic monks in a traditional fire-walking ritual to pray for good health on Setsubun. Dainichiji Temple, the 13th of the 88 temples on the famed pilgrimage route in Shikoku, hosts the event every year on Setsubun and on July 18 at its inner temple of Konjiji. Setsubun is the last day of winter on the traditional Japanese calendar. It fell on February 3, Tuesday this year.

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Marking a historic spiritual milestone, India sent the sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha for their first-ever international exposition, on the occasion of Sri Lanka’s National Day. The Holy Relics will be enshrined at Colombo’s revered Gangaramaya Temple from February 4th to 10th, where thousands of devotees are expected to gather for veneration.

The journey of these holy relics not only showcases nation’s rich Buddhist heritage to the world but also undertakes profound gesture of India’s spiritual outreach and cultural diplomacy towards Sri Lanka.

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Tens of thousands of Philippine Catholics swarm a historic statue of Jesus Christ as it was paraded through the streets of Manila on Friday in the nation's biggest annual religious event.

The day-long procession began before dawn, with barefoot volunteers pulling the heavy carriage through narrow streets where the devout waited in hopes of touching the icon, believed to hold miraculous powers. The annual religious parade commemorates the arrival of the wooden statue of Christ from Mexico in the early 1600s.

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Pope Leo XIV closed the final "Holy Door" in St Peter's Basilica in Rome on Tuesday, the day of Epiphany, signaling the end of the 2025 Jubilee year that drew millions of pilgrims to the city.

The ceremony to close the basilica's ornate bronze doors, followed by mass, was the final stage of a Catholic holy year inaugurated by Leo's predecessor, Francis, in December 2024. The year of celebrations is a period of reflection and penance for the world's more than 1.4 billion Catholics. It drew more than 33 million pilgrims to Rome from 185 countries, Vatican officials said Monday.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin attended an Orthodox Christmas service at a church in the Moscow Region.

Putin emphasized that the Russian Orthodox Church has made a special contribution to the unification of the people of the country. With a feeling of deep satisfaction, he noted the enormous, truly unique contribution of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations to the unity of society, the preservation of the rich historical and cultural heritage, and the patriotic, spiritual and moral education of youth.

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Pope Leo XIV, addressed pilgrims on Sunday who did not fear pouring rain, expressed his closeness – “with a heart full of concern” – to all those suffering from the tragedy that happened on New Year’s Eve in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

He also assured his prayers for the young people who died, trapped in the flames of the blaze, for the injured, and for their families. Then, his thoughts turned to the latest news from Venezuela.  Pope Leo urged that the country’s sovereignty be assured. He called for guarantees for the rule of law and human rights. Finally, Pope Leo encouraged everyone to have faith in God’s peace and invited to stand in solidarity with the people suffering from war.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics titled "The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One," at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex, New Delhi on Saturday.

PM Modi visited the historic exhibition that reunites the sacred relic jewels of Lord Buddha taken away during  the colonial era with the Piperwha relics and jewels preserved at the national museum New Delhi and Indian Museum, Kolkata. The Piprahwa relics, discovered in 1898, are among the earliest and most historically significant relic deposits directly connected to Lord Buddha.

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The residents of the Gaza Strip celebrate Christmas at the Latin Monastery Church in eastern Gaza City. Prayers and Christmas celebrations filled the air after two years of being deprived. This occasion marks a different turn this year, filled with an atmosphere of security, peace, and happiness for the holiday and the New Year.

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