About Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami falls on the fifth day of the bright half of Magha, when winter begins to ease and the mustard fields of the north turn yellow. The day is kept as the arrival of spring, and it is dedicated to Saraswati, who is honoured as the source of knowledge, speech, music and every kind of skill. Many families also believe that Saraswati first appeared on this day, which is why it is sometimes called Saraswati Jayanti.
The festival is kept across India, each region adding its own colour. In Bengal, Odisha and Assam, Saraswati Puja is one of the most loved days of the year for students, with images of the goddess set up in homes, schools and neighbourhood pandals. In Punjab and parts of North India the day is known as Basant, and the sky fills with kites. Many people also see it as a good day to begin new work, since it is believed not to need a separate muhurat.
Yellow runs through the day. People wear yellow clothes, offer yellow flowers such as marigold, and prepare yellow food: kesari rice, boondi, besan laddoo or saffron halwa. Books, pens, notebooks and musical instruments are placed before the goddess for her blessing, and many students leave their books there for the day. Young children are often seated for vidyarambh, their first lesson, where a parent or elder guides their hand to write the first letters or the sacred syllable Om.
A practical note: the day is chosen by the Panchami tithi, and families usually look for Panchami in the first half of the day, when the puja is done. If the tithi spans two days, the date shown above tells you which one fits. Beyond that, each family keeps the day in its own way, simple or elaborate.
