Charmed by Snakes - Naag Panchami

(Click to enlarge)

" Now the serpent was more crafty than

any beast of the field the

Lord God had made."

Gen 3;1

13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; (P)He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."
Gen 3

Today is the Hindu festival

of Naag Panchami

Snake worship day


Although snake charmers are now banned from
performing .When my niece was
visiting 3 summers ago
she took these photos of a man
who came around with his wares.
He plays his pipe
and the cobra slowly rises
from his dreamy sleep
swaying to the movement of the musical instrument
I scanned some newspaper articles.
You can click on them to enlarge them,
There is a village of snake charmers close
to our city.I hope to visit it some day.
Snake charmers also have charms
and anti venom to "cure" people of snake bites
and other ailments.

(Click to enlarge)

Nag Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day of the moonlit-fortnight in the month of Shravan every year, according to the Hindu calendar when people worship the snake god.“Offering milk to snakes brings prosperity for the entire family, said Swastik, a devotee.This day also serves the purpose of wildlife conservation as millions of devotees refrain from harming snakes or any reptiles.Snake charmers, an otherwise impoverished lot, command importance on this day as devotees buy pairs of serpents and later release them in the forests.During Shravan month or (July-August) serpents invariably come out of their holes that get inundated with rain-water to seek shelter in gardens and houses. As such they pose a danger to man. It is, therefore, thought that snakes are worshiped on this day.Right from the time when mankind started acquiring some sort of culture, the sun and the snake have been invoked with prayers and ritual worship in most countries. In India, even before the Vedic times, the tradition of snake-worship has been in vogue. Courtesy - (ANI)

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I am posting a snake dance video which I think you will enjoy.

It is from a Hindi movie based on a fantasy -folk tale.

The story is about a King and Queen Cobra who are the guardians of a magical stone in an ancient temple.

An evil snake charmer wants to procure

the gem in order to gain its enchanting powers.

The queen cobra comes to the house

of the king cobra (reincarnated as a prince) assuming human form

and marries him in order to protect him.

The King is unware of his true identity.

The snake charmer tries to charm and capture the queen.

When she hears the alluring music she

transforms herself into a dancing princess in order

to avenge her enemy who comes with his posse

of snake charmers.

When the song ends the King returns and is shocked to see his

wife dancing in front of strangers. That is why he strikes her.

I liked this movie and dance.

It was a great hit in the 80s.