Nag Panchami: The annual festival dedicated to snakes
Lunar New Year 2025 welcomes the Year of the Snake. But did you know that in Nepal and many parts of South Asia an entire day is dedicated to worshipping snakes every year?
Published 23 January 2025 12:49pm
Updated 23 January 2025 5:28pm
By SBS Nepali
Source: SBS
Image: Nepal observes Nag Panchami to pray for protection from rain, landslides, floods, and other natural calamities that occur during the monsoon season. (NARENDRA SHRESTHA/EPA)
Key Points
- Every year, people in Nepal and various South Asian countries including India, worship snakes on Nag Panchami.
- While the festival holds religious and cultural significance, it also highlights the role of snakes in the ecosystem.
- Experts say the festival imparts a message of peaceful coexistence with snakes and all living creatures.
Nag Panchami is a festival celebrated across some South Asian countries, predominantly in Nepal and India.
It is mainly celebrated by followers of Hinduism, and is also observed in some Buddhist and Jain communities in various manners.
While the festival is celebrated to seek protection and blessings for families and communities, it also holds environmental significance.
The word ‘nag’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘nāga‘ which widely refers to serpents, particularly cobras. And ‘panchami’ translates to ‘fifth day’.
Nag Panchami falls on the fifth day after the new moon in the month of Shrawan in the Nepali lunar calendar, which is around July or August every year. This year it will be celebrated on 29 July.
A man sticks a poster of the serpent deity (naga) above his doorstep during the Nag Panchami festival. Source: NurPhoto / Amit Machamasi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Traditionally, cow dung, a coin and bermuda grass are used as glue to secure the poster.
People also offer milk, flowers and rice to snake idols or their figures made from materials such as flour.
Devotees worship a statue of snake deity also known as 'Naga Dev' on the occasion of Nag Panchami at Bhaktapur, Nepal. Source: NurPhoto / Rojan Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Why are snakes worshipped?
Melbourne resident Narayan Dahal is a priest and astrologer. He said there are various Hindu mythologies behind Nag Panchami, one of which is the story of a king named Janamejaya.
“According to the Hindu mythology of Mahabharata, King Janamejaya performed a fire ritual to destroy all serpents after his father was killed by a snake bite,” Dahal told SBS Nepali.
"Manasa Devi, who is known as the goddess of snakes, sent her son, Astika, to ask for forgiveness from Janamejaya, on behalf of the snakes. The fire ritual was stopped, and the perished snakes were granted rebirth. That day is now celebrated as Nag Panchami."
The wall of a temple seen with Naga posters during Nag Panchami celebration at Naxal, Kathmandu. Source: NurPhoto / Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Societal and environmental significance
Dahal says snakes are worshipped mainly for safety and coexistence.
“In Nepal, July and August are peak monsoon months, so it is the time for snakes to come out of their underground habitats,” he told SBS Nepali.
“So, it is believed that (putting up) naga posters protects people and homes from snakes.”
Vendors at a local market near the Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, selling pictures of the serpent deity (naga) ahead of the Nag Panchami festivities in Lalitpur, Nepal. Source: NurPhoto / Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images
“Snakes help in controlling rodents and other pests, helping farmers protect crops and minimise the use of fertilisers,” Sapkota said.
Similarly, snake venom is used to create anti-venom for poisonous snake bites, as well as some cancer treatments.Bhimsen Sapkota, Nepali cultural expert, Sydney
King cobras kept in captivity at a snake catcher's centre ahead of Nag Panchami in Bhopal, India. Credit: Praveen Bajpai/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
'A day to challenge misconceptions'
Dev Narayan Mandal is the founder and president of Mithila Wildlife Trust, a not-for-profit organisation based in Nepal working towards nature conservation and restoration.
Mandal said the organisation has been using the festival as an opportunity to educate people and address 'malpractices' or 'misconceptions' about snakes.
Devotees offering ritual prayer during Nag Panchami at Taudaha Lake in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Source: NurPhoto / Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
"So every year we rescue snakes from snake charmers to stop their exploitation. And (over) the last two years, we have been organising the Nepal Snake Festival on Nag Panchami to increase awareness about the reptiles."
While the word 'nag' widely refers to snakes, it particularly relates to the king cobra. And I have personally rescued around 97 king cobras to date.Dev Narayan Mandal, snake expert, Nepal
'Australia, the home of snakes'
Narayan Prasad Gyawali, who is the head priest at the Australian Nepali Multicultural Centre (ANMC) in Melbourne, said many people visit the centre for Nag Panchami.
"In Nepal, I remember that snake worshipping was and is taken in a very sacred manner and there are many strict rules and regulations around it," he said.
"At ANMC, we worship the naga posters and people take them to their respective homes. Some also come to worship snake figures made of flour or mud, with the belief that it removes bad luck."
Devotees at Nag Pokhari, Kathmandu on Nag Panchami. Source: NurPhoto / Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
"We are in Australia, which is quite literally the home of snakes," he said.
"Snakes never bite humans due to hunger. They bite when they experience threats. So in order to coexist with them, we must learn how to respect them and their habitats."
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