Vasant Panchami 2024: Rituals and Significance

Vasant stands for spring, and Panchami means the fifth day. Thus, the festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the spring season. According to the Panchang, it falls during the Purvahna Kaal (a time between sunrise and sunset) on the Panchami Tithi.

In other words, it occurs on the fifth day of Magha (which works out to early February). This year, it falls on Wednesday, 14th February 2024.

Different names for Vasant Panchami: Vasant Panchami is called by different names in different parts of our country. It is called Saraswati Puja in Bihar, the Festival of Kites in Punjab, or the Siri Panchami in West Bengal.

The spiritual significance is that the festival symbolizes the end of the days of ignorance and awakening into Spiritual enlightenment. On this day everyone wears a yellow dress. This is because the colour yellow represents the ripening of the spring crops.

On this day, events like marriage, naming ceremony, and Griha Pravesh(house warming) can be performed without hesitation without making any analysis with Panchang (calendar) or Astrological suggestion.

1. Offering to Mata Saraswati - On Vasant Panchami, yellow-colored food is traditionally offered to Mata Saraswati as a form of worship and reverence.

2. Cooking Yellow-Colored Food at Home - Families prepare yellow-colored dishes on this day, symbolizing the onset of spring and the agricultural season. Sweet rice is a common preparation, which includes ingredients like almonds, raisins, cashews, and other additives, cooked into a porridge-like consistency.

3. Serving Sweet Bar to Family and Visitors - A special yellow sweet bar is prepared and offered to family members and visitors as part of the celebration, symbolizing sharing and community.

4. Belief in Feeding Milk to Snakes - There is a cultural belief that feeding milk to snakes on Vasant Panchami can attract wealth and prosperity in the days to come. This practice is rooted in traditional rituals and symbolism associated with the festival.

On the auspicious occasion of Vasant Panchami, educational institutions and schools perform Saraswati Puja to please Mata Saraswati. In many parts of our country, the celebrants set up a grand pandal to welcome the goddess and worship her. Colorful processions are held to carry idols of Saraswati and immerse them in the holy water of river Ganga.

Kite flying is a very popular tradition followed during this festival. Children and adults alike engage in flying small and large kites and various kite-flying competitions are held across roof-tops and in playgrounds all over northern India.

In the northern part of our country, people feed Brahmans on this occasion and also perform Pitra-Tarpan, the traditional ancestral worship. It is also on this day that children are taught their first words, making it an auspicious occasion that marks the beginning of their learning process.

On the day of Basant Panchami, a log with a figure of Holika (demoness) is placed in a public place. During the next 40 days, devotees add twigs and other flammable material to form a pyre which is lit on Holi.

1. Academic Success for Students - Students performing Saraswati Puja can expect enhanced memory and clearer thinking, aiding in their academic pursuits.

2. Growth in Knowledge and Wisdom - Those seeking personal and spiritual development will find guidance through this pooja.

3. Inspiration for Creatives - Artists, musicians, and writers can gain inspiration and talent from participating in Saraswati Puja.

4. Improvement in Communication Skills - The pooja is known to enhance eloquence in speech and writing abilities.

5. Harmony and Balance - It brings harmony and balance into the lives of the participants.

6. Groundedness and Humbleness - The pooja instills a sense of humility and groundedness in those who partake in it.

7. Cultural and Traditional Significance - Celebrating Saraswati Puja is a way to connect with cultural traditions and enjoy communal enthusiasm.

According to a Basant Panchami story, Lord Brahma was very happy with the creation of the whole world. As a result, he wanted to see the whole world with his own eyes. Therefore, he set out on a journey. When he saw the world, he was disappointed with complete silence.

Everyone on planet Earth appeared very lonely. Lord Brahma had an idea. He took some water in his Kamandal and sprinkled it in the air. An angel appeared from a tree. The angel had a harp in her hand.

Shri Brahma requested her to play something so that everything on Earth was not silent. As a result, the angel started playing some music. The angel blessed the people of the Earth with voice. She also filled this planet with music.

Since then, that angel came to be known as Mata Saraswati, Goddess of speech and knowledge. She is also known as Veena Vadini (harp player). It is believed that Maa Saraswati provided voice, intelligence, force, and glory.

Another popular belief is that the origins of this festival lie in the Aryan period. Aryans came and settled in India crossing the Saraswati River among many others. Being a primitive civilization, most of their development took place along the banks of the River Saraswati.

Thus, River Saraswati began to be associated with fertility and knowledge. It is then that the day began to be celebrated.