Ganga Aarti Ritual, Varanasi

Ganga Aarti (ritual of offering prayer to the Ganges river) is held daily at dusk. Several priests perform this ritual by carrying deepam and moving it up and down in a rhythmic tune of bhajans. Special aartis are held on Tuesdays and on religious festivals.

The Ganga Aarti starts soon after sunset and lasts for about 45 minutes. In summer the Aarti begins at about 7pm due to late sunsets and in winter it starts at around 6pm. Hundreds of people gather at the ghat every evening to watch the event.

A crowd heads towards the riverbank.

The riverbank is already full of people.
Some people watch the ritual from the riverbank. Other people watch the ritual from boats moored on the river bank.

Musicians singing and playing bhajan.
Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language.

The term 'bhajan' is also commonly used to refer a group event, with one or more lead singers, accompanied with music, and sometimes dancing.
Normally, bhajans are accompanied by percussion instruments such as tabla, dholak or a tambourine. Handheld small cymbals (kartals) are also commonly used to maintain the beat.
A bhajan may be sung in a temple, in a home, under a tree in the open, near a river bank or a place of historic significance.
See more at Bhajan - Wikipedia.