16th July : World Snake Day

World Snake Day

Are you afraid of snakes?  Do you perceive snakes as evil?  Then you should read this article, especially today, July 16th, on World Snake day.

Historical references of Snakes date back to the 6th day Adam and Eve came to earth.  A snake tempted Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.

Even Hindu mythology mentions snakes in many places.  In fact, Hindus worship them, and one can see temples dedicated to snakes, and snake idols in temples are very common. Vishnu, one of the trinity of Hindu mythology sleeps on a snake, and Krishna, the reincarnation of Vishnu, defeated a snake and saved the people.  The snake stories are aplenty in Chinese, Greek, Latin, Egyptian mythologies, and folklores too, but sadly they are mostly depicted as evil.

There are more than 3,500 species of snakes around the world. Only around 600 species are venomous species and 200 species pose a considerable risk to human life. Therefore, snakes are not as worrying or scary as we think they are. 

These diverse creatures range from a few inches to 30 feet long, and from friendly and docile to aggressive and deadly.  Snakes are highly effective predators and play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature.

Though the origin of World snake day is not very clear, by coincidence during the period of July 15th to August, 15th, in India ladies go to anthills to pour milk for the snakes as part of a ritual. The species which is here since the earth was born, surely deserve one. 

Below snake stamp issued in 2021 by Belgium post as part of Europa stamps - "Endangered National wildlife"

Below snake stamp which is part of Endangered species was issued by Cannada Post in 2006