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Charak Puja

Photo Credit: Zakir Hossain Chowdhury / Barcro / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Charak Puja is one of the many local festivals in Bengal, India. It happens annually on the 13th and 14th day of April to welcome the Bengali New year the next day. It is observed by agricultural groups to celebrate the end of the suffering of the previous year and to usher in good fortune for the future.

Participants known as Charaks impale their bodies with sharp knives, needles, and rods as a penance to Lord Shiva. They are also known to put hooks through their backs and are suspended above the ground where they are swung around a large pole. This act is another sign of penance.