Nepal, Nov. 12 -- Sanjay Yadav boarded a microbus in Kathmandu at 3am on Thursday, bound for Sarlahi and Chhath, alongside neighbours and relatives from his village. Less than three hours later, the vehicle plunged 700 metres down a slope at Chisapani Gadhi in Makawanpur, killing 14 people. Yadav was thrown clear midway and survived. His account is of a village that booked one vehicle to travel home together, most passengers asleep; and a driver that police suspect may have been fatigued. The cause is for investigators to establish. The journey itself says something: for many Nepalis, Chhath begins not at the ghat of worship but on a dark, dangerous road.

That tragedy sits uncomfortably beside how Nepal treats the festival. Chhath is no ...