This most important of Hindu festivals falls on Tuesday 13 through to Wednesday 14 February 2018.

In temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (–22F), believers immersed themselves in cross-shaped holes cut into thick ice covering rivers and lakes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin immersed himself in a frozen lake to celebrate Epiphany, a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity marking the baptism of Jesus.

Makar Sankranti marks the winter solstice and the transition of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn. Devotees also thank Surya the sun god for the coming harvest season.

Devotees squeezed their way into the tightly packed mob and climbed on others in a desperate attempt to reach the carriage carrying the Black Nazarene through Manila.

Orthodox Christians in Russia, Greece, Ethiopia and other countries around the world celebrated Christmas Day yesterday (Sunday 7 January).

Pope Francis met a group of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and pronounced the word he had so assiduously avoided only days earlier in Myanmar.

Muslims around the world are celebrating the birth of the prophet Muhammad, which occurs on the 12th day of Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.

The collection includes thousands of biblical texts and artefacts, from fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls and cuneiform tablets to high-tech exhibits and a biblical garden.

Across India and Nepal, devotees – mainly women – mark the Hindu festival of Chhath Puja by immersing themselves in rivers and lakes at sunrise and sunset to worship Surya, sun god.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej's son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, collected the ashes and charred bones of his father – also known as King Rama IX – to be kept as royal relics.

Despite torrential rain in Bangkok, crowds of mourners have begun camping on the streets around the royal palace ahead of the funeral of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Hindus around the world are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, also known as Deepavali and Tihar.

Thailand is preparing to bid a grand final farewell for the late king with an elaborate five-day funeral ceremony that will begin on 25 October.

The holiest day in the Shia calendar is observed on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year, to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

Many devotees beat their heads and chests with chains and knives, and gash their heads with swords to show their grief and echo the suffering of Imam Hussein.

Perhaps surprisingly, these weddings have a far higher success rate than traditional love marriages, with lower divorce rates.

Idols of the elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha – large and small – are carried through the streets and immersed in bodies of water.

Norwegian photographer Jonas Bendiksen has travelled the world tracking down men who claim to be the second coming of Jesus Christ.

IBTimes UK looks at how Eid al-Adha is celebrated around the world, from going home on an overcrowded Bangladesh train, to selecting a sheep and getting it home.

Cult leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of raping two followers in a case dating back to 2002.

The son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted as having an elephant's head and a man's body, usually with four arms.

Snake charmers sit outside temples as devotees queue up to offer milk to the serpent gods and seek their blessings.

Three Palestinians have died in violent clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers in Jerusalem.

When 74-year-old widow Khim Hang spotted a calf near her home, she knew it was her reincarnated husband Tol Khut.

The Muslim Charities Forum estimates that Muslims across Britain donate around £100 million during Ramadan.

The sighting of the new moon determines the start of the month, which leads to countries declaring Ramadan a day or two apart.

For followers of central Africa's Kimbanguist church, yesterday (25 May) was Christmas Day.

Hundreds of people watched the punishment ordered by a court in the only part of Indonesia that criminalises same-sex relations and uses Islamic law as its legal code.

Known as Buddha's birthday, Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti, Vesak Day commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.