Happy Vasant (Basant) Panchami 2017: Vasant Panchami is a popular Hindu festival which celebrates the onset of spring. This festival which is celebrated across the country also marks the start of Saraswati Puja. According to Hindu calendar, Basant Panchami falls on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Hindu month of Magha. It is celebrated in different states of India. This year the festival falls on January 22nd. In the Punjab region, it is celebrated as the festival of kites on the fifth day of spring. Wearing yellow clothes and cooking bright coloured foods like sweet rice and Boondi Ladoo are the highlights of the festival.
Why is Basant Panchami celebrated:
Basant Panchami observes the birth of Saraswati. As per the popular folklore, Goddess Saraswati – the deity of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology – was born on this day and people worship her to achieve wisdom. According to custom, temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswati are filled with sacred offerings a day before Basant Panchami, with the belief that the Goddess would join in the celebrations by attending the traditional feast the following morning. Another folklore is that Lord Rama ate the half-tasted grapes of Mata Shabari on Basant Panchami. People worship her to get blessed with knowledge and to get rid of lethargy, sluggishness and ignorance. Schools and colleges arrange pujas in the morning to seek the blessing of the Goddess.
The colour yellow holds great significance during Basant Panchami as it is associated with the colour of mustard flowers that bloom during this season, so wearing yellow is also encouraged. In India, the festival is celebrated mostly in northern states of Punjab and Bihar, where people celebrate it as a festival of kites.
