With each having unique meaning and importance, India is a land of countless festivals. People follow different customs and rituals in the region, but festivals serve as the binding agent. Basant Panchami, a day devoted to Goddess Saraswati’s worship, is one of the most famous festivals around the corner. It marks the beginning of the spring season, too.
What Does Basant Panchami Mean?
The fifth day (Panchami Tithi) of Hindu month Magha during Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of the Moon) is known as Basant Panchami. This day celebrates the spring season’s arrival and pays an ode to the Goddess of learning, arts, and music, Maa Saraswati.
Panchami Basant 2021: Date
As per the Hindu calendar, Basant Panchami is celebrated every year on March 5th. The festival usually takes place in February or March, but on February 16, Basant Panchami will be held in 2021.
Significance of Panchami Basant
Spring is a lovely season that allows flowers to bloom. It offers refuge from the bone-chilling weather to individuals and offers much-needed warmth and comfort. The mustard field looks like a yellow flower bed, and this color is known to be auspicious. In comparison, people wear yellow-colored garments on this day. nSymbols of yellow indicates joy, bliss, and wealth. And therefore, the value. The color yellow is also considered to be the preference of Maa Saraswati. When the Goddess is worshiped, Basant Panchami and her blessings are sought for an enlightened life.
The official meaning of the day marking the transition from winter to spring, and eventually summer, is Basant Panchami. On this day, the importance of the color ‘yellow’ is enormous, as the mustard crop’s yellow flowers are said to bloom on this very day. The yellow hue often represents the start of spring and is synonymous with life and nature’s emotions of positivity.
What Do People Do On Basant Panchami?
People get dressed in clothes that are yellow and fly kites. And on this day, those who have little kids start the learning process. Vidyarambam (Vidya + Aarambh), meaning the beginning of Vidya, is what this practice is called. The ritual is also known as Aksharabhyasam (Akshar + Abhyas), which means the letters or Akshar are taught. Saraswati Puja, followed by a feast, is also performed by people.
Basant Panchami-Related Legend
According to a legend connected with Basant Panchami, the day is devoted to celebrating the marriage of Kama Deva (the God of love) and his queen, Rati. It also marks the arrival of Shiva and Parvati together. Parvati is thought to have requested the aid of Kama to awaken Shiva from his deep state of meditation. Using his sugarcane bow, Kama Deva fired an arrow of flowers at Shiva to get him back to the world, which required his attention. It symbolizes the return of Shiva from the state of Vairagya (dispassion) to Grihastha, from a philosophical viewpoint (family).
People see Basant Panchami as an auspicious day to begin good work. In India, the festival is mainly celebrated in Punjab and Bihar’s northern states, where it is celebrated as a kite festival. In Rajasthan, on the day of the festival, people wear jasmine garlands. While there is no particular time for Saraswati Puja on Basant Panchami Day, during Purvahna Kala – the time between sunrise and noon – most people practice Saraswati Puja. The Goddess is clad in yellow during the Saraswati Puja, and flowers and sweets of the same color are given to her.
In Bengal, Goddess Saraswati is given boondi ke ladoo and sweet rice. As in other states, Basant Panchami is celebrated in Punjab with great enthusiasm. Meethe Chawal, Maake ki Roti, and Sarso Ka Saag are consumed traditionally.
How Basant Panchami Is Celebrated?
In West Bengal and some other cities around the world, Goddess Saraswati is worshiped as she is said to be the Goddess of wisdom, and she symbolizes intelligence, poetry, art, and learning. In certain parts of the world, as a tribute to the Goddess, young children can write their first words on a slate. At Saraswati Puja, to get her blessings, offerings of ink, pencil, and other items used in education are made to the Goddess. In certain parts of Uttar Pradesh, worship of Radha and Krishna is also prevalent. As a harvest festival, Bihar celebrates this festival too. Kite-flying on the day of Basant Panchami is also a tradition practiced in many areas of Punjab.
