Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake (often a cobra) by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand. The practice was historically the profession of some tribesmen in India well into the 20th century but snake charming declined rapidly after the government banned the practice in 1972. Snake-charmer performances still happen in other Asian nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. The tradition is also practiced in North African countries of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Ancient Egypt was home to one form of snake charming, though the practice as it exists today likely arose in India.^{[citation needed]} It eventually spread throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Despite a sort of golden age in the 20th century, the practice of snake charming has been declining since. This is due to a variety of factors, chief among them is the enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in India banning ownership of snakes. In retaliation, snake charmers have organized in recent years, protesting the loss of their only means of livelihood, and the government has made some overtures to them. Snake charming is almost extinct in India.

Many snake charmers live a wandering existence, visiting towns and villages on market days and during festivals. During a performance, snake charmers may take a number of precautions. The charmer typically sits out of biting range and the snake is usually sluggish due to starvation or dehydration and reluctant to attack anyway. More drastic means of protection include removing the reptile's fangs or venom glands, drugging the snake, or even sewing the snake's mouth shut. The most popular species are those native to the snake charmer's home region, typically various kinds of cobras, though vipers and other types are also used.

Although snakes are able to sense sound, they lack the outer ear that would enable them to hear the music. They follow the movement of the charmer and the pungi that the charmer holds with his hands. The snake considers the person and pungi a threat and responds to it as if it were a predator.

The earliest evidence for snake charming comes from ancient Egyptian sources. Charmers there mainly acted as magicians and healers. Part of their studies involved learning the various types of snake, the gods to whom they were sacred, and how to treat those who were bitten by the reptiles. Entertainment was also part of their repertoire, and they knew how to handle the animals and charm them for their patrons, but experts in that tradition were deported and employed in royal courts in Assyria and Persia.

One of the earliest records of snake charming appears in the Bible in Psalm 58:3–5: "The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born. Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear, that does not respond to the magicians, or to a skilled snake-charmer."

Modern Snake charming originated in India. Hinduism has long held serpents to be sacred; the animals are believed to be related to the Nagas, and many gods are pictured under the protection of the cobra.

The earliest snake charmers are believed to have been traditional healers by trade. As part of their training, they learned to treat snake bites. Some also learned how to handle snakes, and people called on them to remove snakes from their homes. Snake charming became associated with the guru Baba Gulabgir. These snake charmers were associated with exorcists, physicians, and magical healers. The practice eventually spread to nearby regions, ultimately reaching North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.