The ancient practice of snake charming (hypnotizing it by simply playing an instrument) apparently started in India. From here, it spread throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa - Morocco and Tunisia in particular. As well as playing music to the snake, a lot of performers do sleight of hand tricks and juggling too.

Nowadays, snake charming is in danger of dying out. It had its golden age during the 20th century. There are many factors that have contributed to its decline. In India, the introduction of a law banning ownership of serpents was probably the most significant. After snake charmers protested wildly about the loss of their livelihood, the government eventually made some concessions.

Many snake charmers now live a lonely wandering existence, visiting towns and villages only on market days and during festivals. In most cases, the charmer will make every effort to keep out of harms way. He'll normally sit out of the snakes biting range. Sometimes they remove the snakes fangs or venom glands, or even sew his mouth shut.

The most popular types of snake used are various kinds of Cobra, although this varies depending on the region. Vipers are also used.