Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area

Nag Panchami

Why it matters

Honors naga deities and the sacred ecological forces associated with serpents, water, fertility and protection.

The story behind it

Regional stories connect the day with Krishna and Kaliya, serpent deities and agricultural reverence.

Prayers and worship

Devotees may offer naga pooja, chant Naga or Subrahmanya prayers, visit serpent shrines and pray for family well-being and protection.

Fasting and devotional customs

Processions, special alankaram, abhishekam, music, dance, communal food or pilgrimage may occur depending on the festival.

What is typically offered

Flowers, turmeric, milk offered to naga images where customary, and lamps are common; visitors should never feed or disturb live snakes.

Visiting a temple that day

This observance can differ substantially between temples. Treat the local temple’s published program as authoritative for participation details. Temple practices vary by region and sampradaya. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required, follow priest/volunteer directions, ask before photography, and check the temple’s event page for exact pooja, fasting and prasādam arrangements.

Spiritual themes

Respect for nature, fertility, protection, ancestry and ecological reverence.

The 2026–27 dates were compiled from a Northern-California Panchāṅgam reference for the Fremont / Bay Area location. The 2028 date is not published yet: the tithi begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, so it touches 25 and 26 July 2028 without prevailing at either sunrise, and which day this observance then moves to is a tradition’s rule not yet confirmed here. It will be added once confirmed with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. They can differ from a calendar computed for another city or another sampradāya. Please confirm any date on which you plan a ceremony with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. How these dates are calculated →