Nag Panchami in India: a serpent festival of faith and nature

In India there is a day when snakes take center stage. People chant mantras, offer milk, and ask for protection. It may sound unusual, especially to those who instinctively fear these creatures. Yet Nag Panchami is an ancient festival with a deeper purpose: it shows how faith, nature, and custom can intertwine within a single culture. Seen up close, it feels less like spectacle and more like a quiet pact with the living world.

What the festival is

Nag Panchami is marked across India each summer, usually in July or August. The name is understood as the fifth day dedicated to serpents: the word nag means a serpent, and panchami refers to the fifth day in the lunar calendar.

On this day, people perform specific rites. Some pray at temples; others pour milk into anthills or decorate their homes with images of snakes. None of it is for show. It is a way to express reverence for animals regarded as sacred.

Snakes in myth: guardians, not foes

In Hindu tradition, a snake is more than a dangerous creature. In ancient stories it is powerful and wise, closely linked to the gods. Myths tell of serpents that guard treasures, assist deities, or even carry them.

Shiva is often depicted with a cobra around his neck, while Vishnu reclines on the great serpent Shesha. The ancient Indian epic Mahabharata recounts how a sage once saved snakes from annihilation; from then on, people began observing Nag Panchami as a day of reconciliation.

How Nag Panchami is celebrated

Customs vary from region to region, but the core is similar. People:

• paint snakes on doors and walls,
• bring milk and flowers to temples,
• recite prayers and ask for protection for their families.

Women often pray for their brothers’ health, since the snake is seen not only as a source of danger but also as a symbol of protection and prosperity. There is also a rule to avoid digging the earth that day: snakes may be beneath the surface and should not be disturbed.

In some places, temples even receive live snakes, usually cobras. They are not harmed; they are cared for, fed, and then released back into the wild. These rites take place under the supervision of snake catchers and priests.

Why venerate snakes

This is not only about myth and belief. During the monsoon, snakes leave their burrows and can appear near homes, which can indeed be dangerous. Veneration becomes a way of striking a truce with nature: people show respect in the hope of avoiding harm.

This attitude matters especially in villages, where life is closer to the land and encounters with wildlife are more common.

A modern view: a festival with an environmental meaning

Today many scientists and conservationists argue that Nag Panchami can support the protection of snakes and the broader ecosystem. Snakes play a useful role by controlling rodents and other pests, helping to safeguard fields and harvests. Treating them with respect rather than hostility benefits both nature and people. The logic is simple and persuasive.

Some Indian ecologists describe the day as a green festival because it teaches attentiveness to animals, even the ones that frighten us.

Where snakes are especially revered

India has many temples dedicated to snakes. One of the best known is the Nagvasuki Temple in Prayagraj, where devotees worship Vasuki, regarded as the king of serpents. The shrine has stood for centuries, and thousands of pilgrims visit during Nag Panchami.

Beyond that, vibrant and meaningful rites take place across the country wherever the day is observed.

What the festival means today

In a world where nature is increasingly under pressure from humanity, festivals like this offer a reminder: living creatures are not enemies, but fellow inhabitants of the planet. Snakes are no exception. When a culture makes room for respect toward them, it preserves a measure of balance between people and the wild.

Nag Panchami is not only a celebration of snakes. It is a lesson in living alongside what unsettles us yet merits respect — a quiet ethic of coexistence that still feels timely.