Basant Panchami also marks the start of the festival’s preparations for Holi, which takes place forty days later. Maa Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, music, and art, is honored at the event. Goddess Saraswati is revered in temples and by students in schools and colleges on this day. Shri Panchami and Saraswati Panchami are other names for Vasant Panchami.
Saraswati puja date and time
Basant Panchami will be celebrated on February 5 this year, with the Vasant Panchami Muhurat occurring between 07:07 AM and 12:35 PM. According to drikpanchang, the Vasant Panchami Madhyahna Moment will take place at 12:35 PM. Although there is no specific timing for Saraswati Puja on Vasant Panchami day, it should be performed when Panchami Tithi is prevailing.
Significance
On this particular day, the color yellow had a lot of meaning. People wear yellow clothing, worship Goddess Saraswati, and eat traditional meals to celebrate the day. Yellow is a color that represents understanding as well as mustard fields, which are associated with the arrival of spring.
Celebrations
Basant Panchami is celebrated in somewhat varied ways across the country. On this day, delicious traditional delicacies are prepared and consumed. While kites are flown throughout North India, notably in Punjab and Haryana, the eastern half of the country, such as West Bengal, celebrates Saraswati Puja. Sri Panchami is the name given to it in the southern states. In Gujarat, flowers are exchanged as presents in the form of bouquets and garlands made of mango leaves. On this day, people in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh worship Shiva and Parvati.
Basant Panchami history
According to tradition, Kalidasa was sad by his wife’s abandonment and planned to commit suicide by drowning himself in a river. When goddess Saraswati emerged from the lake and asked Kalidasa to bathe in it, he was about to do so. His life changed dramatically after that, as he was blessed with wisdom and came to fame as a great poet.