On the auspicious occasion of Nag Panchami, Hindus worships the snake God and offer milk to them. It is considered to be the most pious day for the devotees of Lord Shiva as he loves and blesses snakes and by worshiping snakes, devotees seek Lord Shivas blessings. But still many people celebrate this festival without knowing the reason behind why we feed milk to snakes on this special day. It is a festival celebrated all over India with same joy and devotion. The celebration may vary in different parts of India, but the devotion towards Snake as a God remains the same.




As you know, Hinduism is a religion which stands on the pillar of faith and belief and is surrounded by common search of truth. For Hindus, worshipping of God has become a way of life. We celebrate all the festivals to show our devotion and vigor towards the supreme power i.e God. In Hinduism, Snake is also a God and Nag Panchami is a festival on which snakes are worshipped. It falls on the fifth day of the moonlight of the month of Shrawan, which falls in the month of July or August. It is celebrated across India with different rituals and customs. Try to find out the reason behind worshipping and feeding snakes on Nag Panchami. 




   

Well we do not have the accurate answer but still it must be that snakes are a great threat to making during these months. They usually come out of their holes as rainwater seeps in and while looking for shelter they might harm Humans. However, this is why they are worshipped and fed with milk. It is also believed that Lord Krishna had saved the lives of people from the Kaliya, the Demon Snake.





It is said that one day, when Krishna was a small boy, was playing by the side of river Yamuna and his ball fell in the river. While trying to get the ball, Krishna went into the river. In the river, Kaliya attacked him, he fought but Krishna defeated the demon snake and Kaliya realized that he was not an ordinary child. He pleaded Sri Krishna not to kill him. Krishna spared him by taking promise that he will not harass the people. Therefore Nag Panchami is celebrated as the victory of Krishna over Kaliya, the devil snake.  





As mentioned above, Nag Panchami is celebrated in every region of India but with some different rituals. People do not dig the earth this day and worship snakes and offer milk in front of the idol of Snake. An idol of snake is also made up of mud and sands. People believe that Lord Shiva loves snakes and so by worshipping the snakes they also try to please him. Some people even worship live Snakes/Nag and offer milk to them. In Maharashtra, a group of devotees ask alms and clothing by taking a dormant cobra in a plate and visits as many houses as possible. In Kerala, people visits the snake temples and worship the idols of Snakes and pray so they and their families are saved away from snake bites throughout the year.





In some parts of the region, young girls pray and offer milk to snake God with the intention of getting married to a Good and kind person. It is also believed that snakes remember the faces and they take revenge with whole family even if any one of the member harms them. So, married women pray to save their families from any kind of danger that can be caused by a snake.  Therefore, Nag Panchami is believed to be the festival to fed snakes, to show respect to every living entity and to take blessings from the Supreme God, Lord Shiva.