Amid Dasain festivities, Bhaktapur farmers rush to bring in their rice harvest

Amid the festivities of Dasain, farmers in Bhaktapur are busy cutting ripened rice in their fields and bringing it home.

While markets are crowded with shoppers, farmers are working in the fields to secure grain that will last them the whole year.

They are busy cutting rice, separating grains using threshers, and filling sacks to store in granaries. Many farmers are working in each other's fields in turn, following the traditional practice of mutual help among neighbors (armaparma).

This year, Dasain and the rice-ripening season have coincided, doubling the workload for farmers. As families and neighbors work together in the fields, rural settlements are seeing both festive bustle and increased farming activity.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the sky in Kathmandu is partly cloudy today, with no chance of rain. Tomorrow, however, the department says there is a possibility of moderate rain with thunder and lightning in one or two places in the hilly regions of Bagmati and other provinces.