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India is a land of festivals and rituals. We celebrate more festivals than anywhere else in the world. Each festival pertains to different occasions, and Vasant Panchami is a festival that welcomes the spring season of the year. It is one of the most auspicious festivals which is celebrated in most parts of India either in the month of January or February.
Vasant Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day of Shukla Paksha of Magh Maas and dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Saraswati who is the goddess of knowledge, language, music, and all arts. Devotees worship the deity with yellow flowers, gulal, water offerings, incense, lamp, etc. As per the tradition, yellow-colored sweets and yellow sweet rice, and yellow colored Halwa are offered to Goddess and then consumed as Prasada.
Saraswati Puja takes place on a grand level in the eastern states of India such as Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam. On this holy day, people worship Goddess Saraswati and visit Her temples. Most of the schools, colleges, educational institutes, and universities observe it with a holiday and arrange special Saraswati puja for their students in their premises. In central and western parts of India, people wear jasmine garlands and fly kites to celebrate this festival. Sikhs distribute food to the needy (known as Langar) to celebrate the new crop season or yellow festival whereas in Uttarakhand, people worship Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva and as the mother and father of the earth.
Vasant Panchami is believed to be the birth anniversary of Goddess Saraswati. Hence the day of Vasant Panchami is also known as Saraswati Jayanti.
As Diwali is significant for worshipping Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Navratri is significant for worshipping Durga, the goddess of power and valor, similarly Vasant Panchami is significant for worshipping Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom.
On this day, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped during Purvahna time which is the time before midday as per Hindu division of the day. Devotees adorn the deity with white clothes and flowers as the white color is believed to be the favorite color of Goddess Saraswati. Usually, the sweets made of milk and white sesame are offered to Goddess Saraswati and distributed as Prasad among friends and family members. In north India, yellow flowers are offered to Goddess Saraswati on the auspicious day of Vasant Panchami due to the abundance of blossomed mustard flowers and marigold (Genda Phool) at this time of the year.
The day of Vasant Panchami is significant for Vidya Arambha, the ritual of introducing young children to the world of education and formal learning. Most schools and colleges arrange Saraswati Puja on the day of Vasant Panchami.
Vasant is the equivalent to spring and one of the seasons out of six Indian seasons in Hindu calendar. Vasant Panchami is misnomer as the day is not linked to Indian season of Vasant. Vasant Panchami is not necessarily falls during the season of Vasant. However, in present time, in some years it falls during Vasant. Hence, Shri Panchami and Saraswati Puja are more appropriate names to refer the day of Vasant Panchami as none of the Hindu festivals are linked to seasons.
Basant Panchami also celebrates the onset of the spring season, apart from being a day dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The mustard fields bloom with bright yellow flowers, a colour deemed sacred/auspicious.
Those who worship Goddess Saraswati on Basant Panchami day follow a tradition called Vidyarambham (Vidya + Aarambham), meaning the beginning of Vidya (education). The ritual is also referred to as Aksharabhyasam (Akshar + Abhyasam), meaning learning the letters or Akshar.
And in some places, people celebrate the festival by getting dressed in yellow and flying kites.
Following are the main rituals and activities which are followed on the day of Vasant Panchami -
Vasant Panchami celebrations are none other than those in temples of Mathura and Vrindavan. The day of Vasant Panchami marks the beginning of Holi festivities in Brij temples. On the day of Vasant Panchami, most temples are decorated with yellow flowers. The idols are adorned with yellow dresses to mark the arrival of spring.
the famous Shah Bihari temple in Vrindavan opens Vasanti room for devotees. In Shri Banke Bihari temple of Vrindavan, priests start Holi celebrations by tossing Abeer and Gulal on devotees. Those who prepare Holika Dahan Pandal dig up holes and install Holi Danda (a wooden stick) which would pile up with waste wood and dried cow-dungs in next 41 days for Holika Dahan rituals.
Vasant Panchami is celebrated as Saraswati Puja in West Bengal. Like Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja is celebrated with lots of devotion and enthusiasm. Saraswati Puja is performed especially by students. As a custom, the girl students wear yellow Basanti Sari and the boys wear Dhoti and Kurta. The students as well as artists keep education books, musical instruments, paint-brushes, canvas, ink pots and bamboo quills in front of the idol and worship them along with Goddess Saraswati.
In most homes, Anjali is offered to Goddess Saraswati in the morning. The Goddess is worshipped with Bel leaves, marigold, Palash and Guldaudi flowers, and Sandal paste.
Like Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja is also celebrated as a community festival, people come together and build Pandals in their localities and install the idol of Goddess Saraswati. Traditionally, music is played on the gramophone to appease and to get the blessings of the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
In Naivedhya, Kul (which is jujube fruit and popularly known as Ber in North India), apples, dates and bananas are offered to Goddess Saraswati and later distributed among devotees. Even though the Kul fruit is available in the market much before the festival, many people don't start eating it until the fruit has been offered to Goddess Saraswati on Magha Panchami day. Most people look forward to relish the Kul fruit on this day. Topa Kul Chutney is special dish which is savored on the day of Saraswati Puja along with Khichuri and Lubra.
Apart from Saraswati Puja, Hate Khori i.e. the ceremony of Learning Bengali alphabets and known as Vidya Arambha in other states is performed on this day.
In the evening the idol of Goddess Saraswati is taken out of home or Pandals and immersed in the water body with a gala procession. Usually the idol is immersed on the third day but many people perform immersion on the same day of Saraswati Puja.
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