Ravana Effigy Burning in Lagos Night Lanterns

Warm candlelight flickers against towering paper-mache limbs of the Ravana effigy, casting dancing orange shadows across a Lagos shrine. Rows of paper lanterns line the walls, their soft glow competing with the fierce fire consuming the figure's torso. Dark, wet-season clouds loom overhead, heavy and textured, visible through the open roof structure. Ash falls in slow spirals onto the packed earth floor, mingling with scattered marigold petals. The massive structure dominates the wide panoramic view, its multiple heads silhouetted against the smoky sky. Bright embers rise rapidly, creating vertical trails of light that pierce the deep night air. One charred wooden rib rests on the ground, blackened and smoking at its tip.