Devotees coil live snakes around the necks during bizarre Hindu festival in Bihar

Worshippers at the Hindu Naag Panchami festival in Bihar, north India, celebrated snakes of all shapes and sizes by handling the reptiles in great numbers.

Video from July 21 at Samastipur shows dozens of devotees holding various snakes in their hands or draping them over their shoulders, while all present cheered in excitement.

Naag Panchami is a traditional Hindu festival held on the fifth month of the Hindu religious calendar, where devotees worship the snakes or serpents throughout India, Nepal and other countries where Hindu adherents live.