Nepali Girls Seek Bael Fruit's Protection Upon Marriage

BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL - FEBRUARY 1: Young Nepalese girls dressed up as brides dry their red painted feet in the sun during the Bel Bibaha ritual, celebrated by the Newari ethnicity, indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley on February 1, 2017 in Bhaktapur, Nepal. The Bel Bibaha is a marriage ritual between pre-pubescent Newari girls and a wood apple, or Bael fruit, representing Hindu deity Vishnu. The Newari people believe that marriage to the Vishnu god protects their woman from social stigma if she ever gets widowed. (Photo by Tom Van Cakenberghe/Getty Images)