shub nag panchami

'Nag Panchami' is being celebrated today across all parts of India. On this day married young women visit their premarital households to celebrate this festival Nag panchami. And in villages in India, a traditional aspect of the celebration includes joyous swinging by young women on swings temporarily hung on some tree branches.

Nag Panchami or Naga Panchami, the festival of snakes observed during Shravan month. Snakesare an indispensable part of Hindu religion and the two of the most popular Gods in Hinduism ' Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva ' are closely associated with serpents. Lord Vishnu has the several hooded Snake Ananta as his bed and Lord Shiva wear snakes as his ornament and this close association has deep symbolic meaning. Nag Panchami is observed at two different times. It is observed on the fifth day after Purnima in Ashar Month in Eastern parts of India and the festival is known as Nagpanchami Manasa Devi Ashtanag Puja. The important Nag Panchami which is observed through out India falls on the fifth day after Amavasi in Shravan month. Manasa Devi, the snake goddess, is worshipped on this day in Bengal, Orissa and several parts of North India. Special idols of Goddess Manasa are made and are worshipped during this period.

Nag Panchami Vrata :- People also observe Vrata ' some communities fast during the daytime and eat food only after sunset. Some people avoid salt on the day ' food is consumed without salt. Deep fried things are avoided on the day. Some communities in South India have an elaborate oil bath on the day. There is a belief that unmarried women who undertake Nagpanchami Vrat and do the puja and feed snakeswill get good husbands. Nag Panchami is Guga Navami in Punjab and a huge snake is made from flour and is worshippedon this day. Legend has it that Lord Krishna overpowered the huge black snake Kalia that terrorized his village on this day. The monsoon season is at is peak during the Shravana Month (July ' August). The snakesmove out of their burrows, which are filled with water and occupy spaces frequented by human beings. So it is widely believed that Nag Panchami is observed to please the Snake Gods and avoid snake bites during this season. In many places, two idols of snakes are drawn on both sides of doors using cow dung on this day. Five-hooded idols are worshipped in many regions. The idol of five-hooded snake is made using mud, turmeric, sandal and saffron. Milk is offered to the snake idols and in some extreme form of worship people feed milk to live cobras. The festival of Nag Panchami is yet another example of the influence of Mother Nature on Hinduism. It also shows the need for human beings to respect animals, which play an important role in the survival of human beings

One of the many festivals in India, where Marathi people celebrate and worship the nature. Nags (Cobras) are worshiped on the fifth day of Shravan month (around August) of Hindu calendar. On Nagpanchami day, people draw a Nag family depicting the male and female snake and their nine kids (nagkul). The Nag family is worshiped and a bowl of milk and wet chandan (sandalwood powder) is offered. It is the belief that, the Nag deity visits the household, enjoys languishing in the moist chandan, drinks the milk offering and blesses the household with good luck. Women put temporary henna tattoos (mehndi) on their hand on the previous day and buy new bangles on Nag Panchami day. According to folklore, people refrain from digging the soil, cutting vegetables, frying and roasting on a hot plate on the day of Nagpanchami. Farmers do not harrow the farm on this day to prevent any accidental injury to snakes.

In a small village named Battis Shirala in Maharashtra a big snake festival is held which attracts thousands of tourists worldwide. In other parts of Maharashtra snake charmers are seen sitting by the roadsides or moving from one place to another with their baskets that hold snakes. While playing the lingering melodious notes on their pungi, they beckon devotees with their calls ' "Nagoba-la dudh de Mayi" (give milk to the Cobra Oh Mother!). Women offer sweetened milk, popcorns ('lahya' in Marathi-made out of Jwari/dhan/corns) to the snakes and pray. Cash and old clothes are also given to the snake-charmers.

In Barshi Town of Solapur district, a big Jatra (Carnival) is held at Nagoba Mandir, Tilak chowk.In

South India

Nag Panchami is a festival that brings siblings together to celebrate their family's well-being. This festival is observed on the fifth day of Shravana month of the Hindu lunar calendar after the amavasya of Aashaadha month.

On this day, married women and girls wake up early in the morning to bathe, arrange for puja, and go to the nearest ant hill (snake's home). They perform puja to the snake's home and pray to the Snake God (Indian Cobra - Murugan's incarnation) for the wellness of their families. If there is no ant hill nearby, they offer puja to snake statues erected in nearby temples. A portion of milk used for puja is taken back home and offered to everyone as prasad.

Sweets like Kadubu (Kannada, Kudumulu in Telugu) and Nuchununde (Kanduntalu in Telugu) are prepared, offered to Lord Krishna, and then distributed among guests