GARUDA PANCHAMI .

garuda is vishnu's vahana . garuda means wings of speech. he has vedic knowledge . with his wings he brought vedas from devloka. observing garuda panchami vrutham by married women blessess their children with wisdom and health. this falls on the fifth day of the shuklapaksha of ashada this is also called as naga panchami. early bath and cleaning of the house and decorating the pooja room. now ,for this pooja rangoli with five different colours should me made.. spread a banana leaf on it put rice, and keep the photo of adisheshan (devine serpant)or any snake idle made of gold, silver , copper or earthen .make a turmeric cone( like manja pillayar),as parvathi. to this turmeric cone ,do ganesha pooja and recite some shlokas for gowri also.dhoop , deep, naivedya and mangala harathi. fasting untill pooja is over. after pooja is over prahadam can be taken. to reduce the effect of naga dhosha this pooja is performed.
if newly married couple observe, they will be blessed with a healthy child soon.
story:
a rishi called kasyapar two wife's namely-vinathi and kathru . vinathi had a son -garudan. kathuru had many children but all were snakes. kathru wanted to have control over vinathi.
indira had an elephant called IRAVADAM. and had a horse called UCHAISWARAS.
both were in pure white colour. vinathi and kathru went on an argument on the colour of the horse. kathru said the tail is black in colour. but vinathi did not agree as she has seen the horse. it was agreed that if some black spot is there in any portion of the body of the horse then vinathi will be kathru 's slave for the rest of her life if not vice varsa.vinathi agreed. kathru knew that the colour of the horse is pure white. to prove her statement,so she told her children, who are black snakes ,to cling to the tail of the horse. when the horse came on the sky both the ladies saw the tail was black in colour, but vinathi knew that horse if pure white in colour and now she could not prove it, so she became slave to kathru.
vinathi told garuda her son about the incident . he got angry. he wanted to take her out of this slavery.he went to his step mother and asked her the price for releasing his mother . she wanted to assign him with a hard task to achieve , failing which he too can be enslaved. so she said she wants the nector from heavan. he agreed and left for heavan.
in devalok when they saw a stranger coming to take the nector. the guards became alert and fought with garuda. all the devas also fought. indira threw vajrayudha on garuda.( vajrayuda he threw to kill hanuman when he came to catch the sun, and hanuman's chin got hurt became flat.).he bent down to keep him away .he saluted indira and told in honour of vajrayudam he would like to offer something so he cut one of his wings.pleased indira gave a boon. garuda told his purpose of visit and asked for the nector. indira felt sad for him and gave the nector and said the snakes which did harm to your mother, will be his slaves and scared of him. he took nector and went back home. kathru was surprised and thought garuda can be a threat to her so she released his mother.venathi felt very proud of her son and blessed him. appreciated his presence of mind , determination , bravery- he fought with indira , cleaverness , knowledge .
by observing this vruth and pooja one can get rid of the nagadosha and couple will be blessed with bright married life.