Basant Panchami,Vasant Panchami,Festival Basant Panchami


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Basant Panchami / Vasant Panchami

Vasant Panchami is the spring festival. In Samskrit, Vasant means Spring (season) and Panchami means fifth day. As the name indicates, this festival falls on the fifth day of the Hindu month Magh (February) which is the beginning of the spring season. This festival is dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. She is considered as feminine counterpart of Lord Brahma. Hindu Dharma, being more a way of life rather than a religion, is demure to the special significance of seasons in our lives through religious festivals. Vasant Panchami signifies the beginning of spring season. Vasant is the season when nature is at its beautiful and bountiful best. Flowers are in full bloom and trees sprout new shoots. It is a season when nature regenerates and every thing is fresh and new. New life is evident in the woods and fields. Wheat and other crops enliven with new life and vitality. Mustard fields turn into a heady mix of yellow and greenas the blossoms add color, poetry and romance to life. Indeed, yellow colour has special importance on this day.

Another name of this festival is Vasantotsav (Vasant + Utsav (festival)). In some parts of Bharat, it is also called as Basant (not Vasant) Panchami. The origin of this festival may be traced as far back as ancient times. The festival is celebrated grandly throughout Bharat in different ways. With the onset of spring, people gear themselves for celebrations. The people wear yellow dresses. The men and boys wear yellow turbans or yellow shirts and the women and girls yellow chunries or duppattas.
They get together and erect a special dias for this day. They hold puja and community lunch there. Kite flying is popular on this day. As the festival comes close, kite makers get busy in making kites. Different colors and sizes of kites start flying in the open and clear blue sky.In some traditional homes sweet dishes are exchanged with relatives and friends. A dash of saffron is added to the sweet dishes to get a yellow tinge. Kesari halwa and Kesari sweet rice are the favorites in Northern Bharat. Many people go to temple to offer halwa or sweet rice as a prasad to the God.

Some people feed Brahmanas on this day. Pitri-Tarpan (ancestor worship) is done on this day. The god of love (Kamdev) is also worshipped on this day.

Children are taught their first words on this day (as an auspicious beginning to learning). Schools, colleges etc.(places of learning) organise special worship of Saraswati. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya laid the foundations of Kashi Hindu Vishwa Vidyalaya on Vasant Panchami. This has become a world famous top class academic institution.Vasant is associated with freshness and a new beginning in all spheres of life.Vasant Panchami is therefore a festival full of religious, seasonal and social significance and is celebrated by Hindu people all over the world with new sense of optimism.