DesiEvite Blog

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 | 11:24:00 AM

Vasant Panchami

Vasant Panchami has a specific meaning: Vasant means "spring, “and Panchami means "the fifth day." Vasant Panchami falls on the fifth day of spring. On this day people perform Saraswati puja. It is also known as Basant Panchami. Vasant Panchami is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright half of the Indian month of Magh.

Vasant panchmi is celebrated as a religious festival in temples in Madhya Pradesh. In Punjab region it is also known as Basant Festival of Kites and they observe this as Sikh festival in gurudwara. Celebrations today still honor Kamadev, his wife Rati, and his friend Vasant (the personification heralds of spring). Vasant Panchami initiates the spring festive cycle and its summation that occurs with Holi. The 40-day period between Vasant Panchami and Holi corresponds with the 40 days of Rati’spenance after her husband , Kamadev was reduced to ashes for shooting the eye of Shiva with his love arrows. The festival has been compared to Chinese New Year and the Christian Candlemas, with the subsequent 40-day stretch between Vasant Panchami and Holi compared to the Christian Lenten season. In many places people also start singing Holi songs and throwing colors right from Vasant Panchami and continue till Holi.

On this day early in the morning people establish Kalash and worship Saraswati after worshiping Ganesha, Shiva, the Sun and Vishnu. Thereafter, colored powder is thrown into the air. This is the general form of observance of praying to Goddess Saraswati on Vasant Panchami. In places such as Uttar Pradesh, prayers are offered to Goddess Saraswati and people sing religious verses to celebrate the festival. The color yellow plays an important role in Vasant Panchami as it is related to the bloom of mustard flowers during this period. Celebrants usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshiped in a yellow dress, and sweet saffron rice and yellow sweets are consumed within the families

Posted By Beena