Vasant Panchami is the Hindu festival that is generally celebrated in Magh
(January-February), the first day of spring; every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month in Gregorian calendar. Vasant Panchami is today i.e. Saturday 28th January; 2012.Vasant Panchami is birthday of Goddess Saraswati.
The celebration of the Vasant Panchami is centered on the Hindu Goddess Saraswati. Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom. She symbolizes the different face of learning such as the sciences, arts, crafts and skills. She is said to be calm and collected. She is frequently pictured as seated on a white lout, beside a peacock, wearing a spotless white sari and carried a Veena (instrument). She is also known as “Sharada”, “Vani” and “Vagdevi”.
The Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of intelligence and learning. Goddess Saraswati has four hands which symbolize ego, intelligence, attentiveness and the brainpower. She carries a white lotus and scriptures in two of her hands and she plays music on the Veena (an instrument similar to a sitar) with her other two hands. She rides on a white swan. Her spotless white sari is a representation for purity. Her swan signifies that people should have the ability to discern the good from the bad.
The goddess Saraswati, sitting on a lotus, symbolizes her wisdom. She is also well-versed in the experience of truth. When the goddess is seen sitting on a peacock, it is a reminder that a strong ego can be held back by wisdom.
What do people do on Vasant Panchami?
Vasant Panchami is a famous festival that marks the end of the winter season and escort in the spring season. Goddess Saraswati is the Hindu god of the Vasant Panchami festival.
The color yellow also plays a significant role in this Vasant Panchami festival. Young girls wear yellow dresses and take part in the celebrations. The color yellow holds a special significance for this festivity as it means the brightness of nature and the strength of life. The whole place explodes with yellow colour during the Vasant Panchami festival.
People dress in yellow and they offer yellow flowers & white Louts flowers to the Goddess Saraswati. They also prepared a special dish called Kesar Halwa, which is made from flour, sugar, ghee, nuts, and cardamom powder. This Kesar Halwa Sweet dish also includes saffron strands, which gives it an exciting yellow color and mild aroma.
The Basant Panchami festival in India, the crop meadow (agricultural fields) are filled with the color yellow it means the crop grown well and come to harvest, as the mustard yellow flowers bloom at this time of the year. On Basant Panchami festival day pens, notebooks, and pencils are placed near the goddess Saraswati feet or in front of her to be blessed before they are used by students. Some people do Vidyabhyasam or Aksharabhyasam (it means it starting day for learning) for small kids on this day Vasant Panchami.
