Naga Chaturthi

Naga chaturthi comes on the fourth day of the month of Shravan. This festival is generally observed by women , praying for the well being and long life of their children.The women have a oil bath. and the entrance to the house cleaned and decorated with rangoli . On two sides of the entrance draw a picture depicting a snake with a baby snake beside it. For the worship, a silver or pithal or panchaloha snake is kept in a plate. Also have ready geja vastra coloured only with haldhi, Akshata yellowed with haldi only, raw soaked chana, rice powder, salt, pepper , thambit and chiguli, raw milk with a drop of ghee added.

Thambit is made by soaking rice for an hour or so. Draining all the water and powdering this. After the rice is powdered, add jaggery and blend together or grate the jaggery and mix this well with the rice flour. [if the rice flour is wet or hot, adding jaggery will make it watery, so better grate it and mix].
Chiguli is til seeda fried till it puffs up a little and when cool grind it with jaggery.
Keep three geja vastras one for the snake and two for the snake pictures on two sides of the front door.
Wear a clean saree, if possible a new one to perform the puja.
Begin by first performing the puja to the silver/brass or alloy snake (naag) as usual with haldi kumkum and geja vasthra, and akshtha and flowers .
Then pour a spoon of water, the milk ghee mix and water again and all the other ingredients that you have ready. A little of each.
Now take all the puja things and move to the front of the house. First do puja to the thresh hold Then draw on both sides of the door say at a middle point one big snake and small one. [mother and child.]to these also do puja .
The women dont partake Rice etc on this day but take pala ahara. Uppit, sojji, pohe, friuts and milk or butter milk. One cannot eat chappathis as this does not come under the pala ahara.