Bhaktapur: Twenty-eight-year-old Sujan Bagha Shrestha of Bode, Madhyapurthimi Municipality, is set to pierce his tongue for the third time as part of the annual Tongue Piercing Festival held on Baisakh 2, marking the Nepali New Year.

The unique cultural tradition, observed with great fervor in the ancient town of Bode, involves a ritual where a devotee pierces his tongue with a sharp needle and circumambulates the city, carrying a crescent-shaped oil lamp.

Sujan is continuing a deep-rooted family legacy. His father, Buddha Krishna Bagha Shrestha, pierced his tongue nine times, while his uncle, Krishna Chandra Bagha Shrestha, did so 12 times—making Sujan the third generation in the family to uphold the ritual.

"I’m mentally and physically prepared to pierce my tongue again this year. I want to preserve our tradition and pass it on," Sujan said.

The ceremony is held in front of the Pancho Ganesh Temple in Bode, witnessed by thousands of devotees. After the tongue is pierced, Sujan will walk through the city, stopping at the Mahalakshmi Temple, where the needle will be removed and ritually stuck into the temple wall—a symbolic act believed to ward off evil and bring blessings.

The tradition has been practiced for over a century, with records showing 13 devotees having performed the piercing ritual continuously for the past 108 years, maintaining one of Bhaktapur’s most visually striking and culturally significant New Year celebrations.