Nag Panchami Festival

The Nag Panchami festival is today.  My mother in law told me this morning about some aspects of the festival.

Purpose

This festival is when sisters pray for the wellbeing of their brothers.  Karnataka is a largely agricultural state.  Both sets of Satya’s grandparents were farmers and he still has cousins who farm.  One danger of farming is snakebites.  The snakes get disturbed by the planting and tilling and sometimes come out and bite.  The snakes are extremely poisonous so if a person is bitten they could die.

Now, the festival has widened so that even if the brother does not farm, the sister still prays for his wellbeing.

Who Celebrates

Women.

How

Sisters will dress in colorful, festive sarees and go to the Nag Temple to pray.  At the temple, they will pour milk over the Nag statue.

They will also make sweets, laddoos, for their families.  Sometimes, at home they will make a small Nag out of clay and pray to it also.