June 1 and 2
Hay Season and Naga Panchami
Happiness is not a reward – it is a consequence.
Suffering is not a punishment – it is a result.
-Ralph Ingersoll
For the agricultural communities, this is the beginning of hay season. Spells for continued fair weather are needed to dry out the hay and maturing growing corn.
If the first of July it be rainy weather,
‘Twil rain, more or less, for four weeks together.
-Charles Kightly, Perpetual Almanack of Folklore
In Nepal, this is the festival of Naga Panchami, devoted to the Snake-Gods called Nagas. Early on, people lined the streets for the elaborate parades featuring live serpents and flamboyantly costumed participants. Sacred snake images are adorned with flower garlands and displayed on religious altars. As the sun sets, offerings are made at snake holes for the continued fertility of the people and the land.
The serpent has long been a phallic symbol of the procreative male force. Living beneath the earth, it possesses knowledge of the Underworld and the mystical powers of transformation. In many cultures, it is a symbol of death and destruction as well as resurrection. The serpent also represents the Kundalini force, the potential of light and darkness, and serves as a guardian of thresholds and temples-the protector of esoteric knowledge.
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