Some weird rituals in India - part 3
Nag Panchami :
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On the 5th day of Lunar month of Shravan of Hindu calendar, Nag Panchami is celebrated in India. It is also celebrated in Nepal. Snakes are literally worshipped on this day. On this day, women are more likely the devotees of the snakes. They visit the den and sprinkle the haldi-kumkum and flowers on snakes. Moreover, they shower milk on the snakes.
It is believed that a deadly snake, known as Kalia had been poisoning the Yamuna (river). Due to this the residents of Braj were unable to drink any water. One day, when Lord Krishna was playing ball, it fell in the river. When he went to find the ball he had tussle with Kalia and defeated it. So, Kalia takes all the poison from the river. In return, Krishna blessed that whoever will pray and offer the milk to the snake, will get expiated. Since then, this day is celebrated as Nag Panchami.
Baby tossing in the air :
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In Solapur city of Maharashtra state, there's an Islamic shrine called Baba Umer Dargah. This shrine is famous for the 'baby tossing in the air' ritual. This ritual is practices by both Hindus and Muslims. As you can see in the above image baby is tossed in the air from 15 meters height and this baby is caught in a sheet by the men.
Image source
It is believed that when pir advised people to throw their babies from the roof to show their trust in almighty. And the babies are miraculously caught in the sheets that appeared in the mid air. This ritual is being practiced from last 500 -700 years and there's no case of any accident so far.
Firewalking :
Image source
Firewalking, also known as Thimithi, is celebrated in Tamil Nadu. This is also celebrated in South Africa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Réunion. This ceremony is in honor of Draupadi Amman, wife of Pandavas. It is celebrated a week before deewali.
It is believed that Draupadi, during the battle of Kurukshetra, walked across the bed of fire and still emerged fresh. This act is repeated in Thimithi ceremony. And it is believed that doing so, you get blessings and your wishes come true.
References :
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_Panchami
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.astrospeak.com/slides/why-do-we-celebrate-nag-panchami/m-lite
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Umer_Dargah
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimithi
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